A Second Chance
by TheEveningStar
Summary: I'M BACK! AU postHBP. Sirius is sent to the future not your typical time travel fic! where he meets a handsome young man with emerald green eyes, who seems to know him and understand him better than anyone ever has before. HarrySirius
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first slash fic. Please be kind in your reviews, as I have never written one of these before.**

**Warning: This is slash. If you have a problem with homosexual relationships please don't bother to read this story, but if you're cool with it then go right ahead. No flames please.**

**Summary: WARNING: Slash AU post HBP. Sirius is sent to the future (not your typical time travel fic!) where he meets a handsome young man with emerald green eyes, who seems to know him and understand him better than anyone ever has before. Harry/Sirius **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the wonderful characters in JKR's books, because if I did, Sirius would be alive. SIRIUS LIVES ON IN OUR HEARTS!**

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Sirius Black was wandering one of the many halls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was around one o'clock in the morning and Sirius was debating a topic common to seventeen-year-old boys:

Sex.

Or rather, his recent complete lack thereof.

It wasn't like Sirius couldn't get girls – hell they were throwing themselves at him. He had to (sometimes literally) fight them off with a stick, all thanks to his incredibly handsome face, dark silky hair and beautiful gray eyes. No, getting girls definitely wasn't the problem.

He just wasn't interested in them lately. It was like he could barely see what attracted him to them in the first place. Meanwhile he'd begun to notice more and more frequently how incredibly **hot** some of the blokes at Hogwarts had become. When had _that_ happened?

Suddenly he was in a sea of broad shoulders, flat stomachs and lean legs. He found himself wondering what it would be like to snuggle up with Remus by the common room fire, or drag Frank Longbottom into a broom closet. He'd even had some somewhat disturbing and yet exciting dreams involving he and James in rather – erm - compromising positions.

For the better part of a year, Sirius had been grappling with this. Mostly he had tried to ignore it, but that didn't seem to help much. Now that he thought about it, he'd always admired particularly beautiful boys, like James and Remus, but always in a more distant way, and not in such a sexual way as he was now.

He really didn't know what to make of it. Was he bisexual? Was he gay?

He still admired the female form, and he wasn't known as the girl-magnet at Hogwarts for nothing, but he never seemed to want to go beyond snogging.

And then something happened tonight that sent him reeling.

Remus, ever observant, had noticed these changes in Sirius' actions and behavior in general. Remus himself had come out the previous year, and by now he felt fairly confident that he knew the signs when a man was attracted to other men. It didn't hurt his suspicions any that he once awoke in the middle of the night to hear Sirius having what sounded like a _very_ erotic dream about James. At any rate, he decided to confront Sirius about it, and waited until they were the only two left in the common room to bring it up.

Sirius immediately became flustered (which in itself was highly unusual) and started stammering a denial when Remus cut him off, placing his fingers gently on his lips.

Remus looked Sirius in the eyes and said, "I'm going to prove to you I'm right Padfoot." Before Sirius could even think to react, Remus kissed him. After the initial shock, Sirius found that he couldn't help but kiss Remus back, pulling the lithe young man closer and deepening the kiss. This was, after all, one of his fantasies, suddenly coming true.

There was heat, oh definitely more heat than any kiss Sirius had ever had with a girl, but still it was like any other snog session. There was _something_ missing, which removed true passion from the kiss. When they pulled apart, Remus smiled gently; it was like he too knew that while they both enjoyed the kiss, they weren't meant for each other.

And he was okay with that.

Remus smiled gently at the still slightly dazed Sirius, got up, patted his arm and left the deserted common room, saying, "I told you so," as he went up the stairs to his dorm. It was a good five minutes before Sirius realized he was alone, and decided a walk was what he really needed to clear his mind.

And so dear reader, we find ourselves once again following Mr. Black down another corridor in Hogwarts School. But, _'Come to think of it, where the hell am I?'_ thought Sirius.

He looked around, and realized he hadn't been to this part of the castle in years. So long in fact, he wasn't entirely sure how to get back.

Just then, the familiar shuffling and mumbling of Mr. Filch, the caretaker, echoed down the hall. Sirius saw a door, and seizing his chance, he slipped inside the broom closet, closing the door as quietly as possible. He listened closely, and when Filch had passed, he let out a deep breath and took a step back. Unfortunately, there was a low shelf, which he smashed his head into, falling to the floor. Shaking his head against the pain, Sirius got up, took a wobbly step out of the broom closet, and headed back to the common room; not even noticing the familiar figure still slumped unconscious on the floor.

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About 20 years later…

Harry Potter was wandering one of the many halls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was around one o'clock in the morning and Harry was debating a topic very _un_common to seventeen-year-old boys:

Horcruxes.

More specifically where to find the last two.

It had been surprisingly easy to locate Slytherin's locket (a period of steady brainstorming with Hermione had brought them both to the conclusion that it was at Sirius' house – Regalus Black had somehow managed to steal it, but had died before he could destroy it) and Hufflepuff's cup (which was, believe it or not, in the Chamber of Secrets – come on, looking around the place had not been Harry's priority the first time he was there).

But now they were at an impasse.

They didn't know what of Gryffindor's or Ravenclaw's possessions Voldemort would have used as a horcrux, and Nagini was constantly in Voldemort's company, so they couldn't get to her until the end.

Having already accomplished so much over the summer, and with Hogwarts open again in the fall, Hermione had bullied Harry and Ron into returning to Hogwarts for their final year, on the promise that if they found the other horcrux they would set out immediately, no matter where in the term they were. In the interim, they were studying all they could and researching in the library. The Order of the Phoenix (now led more or less by Professor McGonagall, with the unspoken understanding that they were really guided by Harry himself) had come through with additional training for the Trio.

But even pushing all of that aside, Harry found that his heart ached for something real to hold onto once again. He had lost all his parental figures and his mentor Dumbledore, and even though he had patched up his relationship with Ron and Hermione (which had been rather disjointed the previous year), he wanted love.

When he broke up with Ginny, it was with a resignation towards his destiny. When the Trio returned to Hogwarts, she had wanted to begin again, but Harry found that his experiences without her (both before and after their breakup) had changed him. He couldn't be what she wanted him to be, and she wasn't what he wanted anymore. He began to wonder if he wanted any girl ever again.

He looked back on his previous relationships and found both lacking in what he hoped a true, meaningful relationship could be. He and Cho had been a disaster from the start – they never understood each other. And Ginny: while there had been a physical relationship, he was surprised when he looked back and realized he had shared nothing about his life or his feelings with her. They had a short, romantic, but ultimately shallow fling, and it ended when it needed to.

Now, he had thought of having other such shallow relationships, as he looked at the many girls (or guys – Harry had accepted that he was also attracted to men long ago) around Hogwarts, but found he wanted nothing of that. What he wanted was the closeness he had with Ron and Hermione, but with the understanding he had only ever had with Sirius.

He sighed. '_Sirius.'_

Harry missed him dearly. He missed their talks, and the way Sirius always seemed to understand him. He missed the warm feeling in his heart when he and Sirius joked or hugged, or even raged at each other.

Harry had tried to bury the feelings after Sirius had died, trying to channel his anger for the fight and at the same time lead a semi-normal life. But that hadn't worked because Harry wasn't normal. He was Harry-**bloody**-Potter and he had to save the world.

He looked around, and realized he hadn't been to this part of the castle in years, if ever. Just then, the familiar shuffling and mumbling of Mr. Filch echoed down the hall.

Harry saw a door, and seizing his chance, he slipped inside the broom closet, closing the door as quietly as possible. He stepped back and fell over something on the floor. Harry looked at the unconscious boy on the floor. He seemed familiar somehow, but it was very dark.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked tentatively, gently shaking his shoulder. The young man groaned, but did not wake.

Harry sighed again, pointed his wand at the boy and said, "Mobilicorpus." _'Best take him to the hospital wing.'_

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Sirius awoke to the bright morning sunshine, and let out a small groan, reaching for his aching head. He looked around to find he was in the hospital wing, and a quick survey of the room showed he was the only patient. A familiar head of messy jet-black hair was lying atop the mattress, where apparently James had fallen asleep watching over him.

Sirius smiled and shook his head. _'Prongs really is the best mate a guy could ask for. Better wake him before he gets in trouble for being here.'_

Gently shaking him he whispered, "Prongs, hey Prongs."

The young man stirred, mumbled "Five more minutes, Ron," and promptly returned to the slow regular breathing of sleep.

Before Sirius could question who this Ron was, Madam Pomfrey bustled in with a vial of potion, which she gave to Sirius and said quietly, "Ah, you're awake." She looked at the sleeping boy in the chair and smiled sadly, "Mr. Potter was very worried about you, young man. He refused to return to his dormitory last night after he brought you here."

"Yeah, James is my best mate," Sirius replied, feeling a happy warmth in his heart that James had tried to take care of him.

Madam Pomfrey looked confused for a moment, and then asked a very odd question, "What is your name, young man?"

Sirius chuckled, "Come on, Madam Pomfrey, you can't fool a prankster. You know very well who I am."

"No, I'm afraid I don't," she replied seriously.

Sirius was surprised, but decided to play along for now. "Sirius. Sirius Black."

Madam Pomfrey's eyes widened in shock, before she backed away saying, "You stay here, I'll be right back." With that she practically ran into her office and shut the door, not returning until the hospital wing doors burst open and Professor McGonagall swept into the room.

The noise woke 'James', who sat up yawning, stretched his arms and rubbed his eyes before setting his glasses on his nose and looking at McGonagall with curiosity. "Professor, what are you doing here?"

McGonagall ignored his question and instead turned her stern gaze on Sirius, staring a moment before her eyes opened widely and she took a step back in shock. Not understanding this reaction, Sirius looked at 'James', who was turning to Sirius.

It was then Sirius' turn to look shocked, as James' eyes were no longer the familiar twinkling hazel, but a piercing emerald green that seemed to look right into his soul.

They stared at each other for several seconds, before Sirius asked, "Prongs, what happened to your eyes!"

The boy didn't answer his question, but instead asked in almost a whisper, "Sirius, is that really you?"

"Come on mate," Sirius answered shakily, "you know it's me!"

And before anyone could stop him, his friend swept him up into a fierce hug, crying, "I can't believe it, I can't believe you're back!"

"Harry!" cried McGonagall sharply, "we can't be sure this is truly Sirius."

'Harry' stepped back, staring at Sirius like his wildest dream had come true, and shook his head, "No Professor, this is definitely him. I don't know how this happened, but I would know Sirius Black anywhere."

Sirius smiled at the confidence in his friend's voice, but had to ask, "James, why are you answering to Harry, and why would McGonagall not know me? I see her in detention every week!"

"If I may, I believe I know what has happened," spoke a soft voice.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: This is my first slash fic. Please be kind in your reviews, as I have never written one of these before.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the wonderful characters in JKR's books, because if I did, Sirius would be alive. SIRIUS LIVES ON IN OUR HEARTS!**

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**Previously:**

_Sirius smiled at the confidence in his friend's voice, but had to ask, "James, why are you answering to Harry, and why would McGonagall not know me? I see her in detention every week!"_

"_If I may, I believe I know what has happened," spoke a soft voice._

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Everyone looked to the empty picture frame on the wall, and not a second later, Albus Dumbledore walked into the frame. Much like in life, he always found a way to be in a part of the castle where he was needed, only now he was confined to the picture frames.

"Professor Dumbledore," 'Harry' spoke up, looking relieved, "How is it possible that Sirius is here? And why does he look so young?"

"I believe Mr. Black will be able to answer a bit of that, which may confirm my suspicions. Mr. Black, what do you last remember doing?"

Everyone looked eagerly at Sirius, and he thought back then answered, "I was walking the corridors and heard Filch coming, so I hid in a broom closet, but I bonked my head on a low shelf. The next thing I knew I was here."

"And Harry, you found him where?"

"In a broom closet in the Northwest part of the castle. He was unconscious so I brought him here," Harry hastily replied.

Dumbledore seemed to ponder this a moment, and then answered, "When I was in my youth, attending Hogwarts, I had a pet dog, which as you know are not allowed in the castle. I was walking with my canine companion when I heard some professors coming, and hid him in a broom closet in the Northwest part of the castle. When I returned for him not five minutes later, he came out right away, and we returned to

Gryffindor Tower. My pet lived on for five more years before succumbing to old age, and I was glad to have had him in my life. He was a dog with magical talent, which is rare.

"Fifteen years after my faithful Socks (that was his name) passed on, I was teaching Transfiguration here, when a student come into my office followed by a dog. The student informed me he found the dog in a broom closet, and the animal immediately ran to me, happy to see me and looking exactly like my dear Socks. Curious about the coincidence, I tested the animal to see if he could still make objects fly, like he once could. I sent a small ball through the air, and immediately he chased it, and upon catching it, released it and sent it flying away for a few moments before retrieving it again. There could be no doubt that it was my beloved Socks returned to me."

"What are you saying, Professor?" asked Harry tentatively.

"After I had hidden Socks in that broom closet, I myself had wandered alone down that corridor and needed a place to hide, but the broom closet was no longer there. And yet twenty years after I had hidden my dog behind that door, someone discovered him still there, waiting to be let out."

They all stared at Dumbledore trying to comprehend what he was saying.

Dumbledore stated to the silent audience, "If I recall correctly, twenty years ago Sirius Black came into this hospital wing complaining of a headache brought on by hitting his head on a shelf in a broom closet in the Northwest part of the castle."

There was a very full silence, after which Sirius asked, "Are you trying to say the closet _copied_ me and sent me into the future? Am I even **_me_** anymore?"

Dumbledore surveyed Sirius for a moment before answering. "In simplistic terms, yes, Sirius, you were copied. Your soul and body were duplicated and sent to a time where you could live again, while a part of you lived on in your own time. I cannot know if you are the original or the duplicate, nor do I think it's relevant."

"What do you **mean** it's not relevant?" Sirius cried angrily. "You're telling me my whole life has continued without me, and I may not even really **BE** me anymore! How am I supposed to take that?"

"Take it as a gift of Fate, Sirius. Many wonderful things happened while you were -asleep, so to speak - but many more terrible things also happened. You have been given a chance to live again, to truly enjoy your life, as your 'other' was denied for so many years. You can get to know Harry, who loved you like a father and a brother before. You have the opportunity to make many people very happy again, and to find your own happiness at the same time. We will try to help you along the way, while remembering that you are **not** the man who we once knew, but another version of him, if you will." Here he looked pointedly at Harry.

Sirius took all this in while Harry looked alternatively angry with Dumbledore and ecstatic to see Sirius and sad at the second loss of the father figure he once knew.

"I need some time alone to think," Sirius said at last.

"Of course," McGonagall spoke up, and everyone got up and left the room, but Dumbledore seemed to have one last thing to add.

"I realize this is hard to handle Sirius. But please don't push away those who would care for you, especially Harry. He isn't getting his godfather back (Sirius looked up in surprise, and Dumbledore nodded), but he could certainly use the friendship of a man who understood him and his burdens better than anyone else had. The relationship he had with you was based more on the experiences you _have_ had, then on the ones that you missed out on. I believe you would be good for each other."

And Sirius was left alone to think.

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The next day brought two tentative visitors to the hospital wing. Remus Lupin stuck his head around the door and said, "Can we come in Sirius?"

Sirius had spent the entire previous day pondering his situation. Okay, so his life had moved on without him. He had become this 'Harry's' godfather, which meant Harry was probably James' son. Yes, Madam Pomfrey had called him 'Mr. Potter,' and he looked way too much like Prongs not to be related. Then somewhere along the way he had somehow died, which rather sucked, but he was alive now, and could start again. Sirius Black had never been one to dwell too long on the bad aspects of his life – if he had he would have surrendered to depression long ago over his terrible childhood and his horrible family.

So when he heard the familiar voice of his friend, he immediately perked up, expecting James and Peter to come in as well. Instead, Remus was only followed by Harry. They were carrying several books, a few of which appeared to be photo albums.

After depositing the books on a nearby table, Remus stood back and surveyed his old friend. "My god, you look just like I remember." He then rushed forward and wrapped Sirius up in a bone-crushing hug, which Sirius happily returned, grateful for the familiar warmth of his friend.

Remus stepped back and Sirius took in the changes of twenty years. There were crinkles around his eyes and mouth, from too much smiling or frowning over the years. There were more gray hairs, and Remus seemed to have filled out more, as well as obtained a slightly deeper voice. But he was still so handsome, and despite a few new scars, he was still what Sirius would consider a catch.

Sirius then turned to Harry, who was watching with a smile on his face.

"So, you're my godson."

Harry blushed in surprise, then smiled again shyly and replied, "Yeah, kind of, I guess. It seems weird to think of you like that though. I mean - you're my age."

Sirius grinned and said, "No need to think of me as a father figure, Prongslet, I wouldn't know how to be a role model to save my life. But I can be a pretty good friend, just ask Moony!"

Remus laughed at that, and Harry chuckled, but both jumped when Sirius suddenly cried, "Man! You look so much like James – it's uncanny! Where is he anyway?"

At this the smiles on both men's faces fell off, and Harry became pale. They looked at each other and Remus seemed to square his shoulders. They had already obviously chosen who would be bringing Sirius up to speed on the current state of the world.

"Sirius," Remus began unsteadily. "I don't know of any other way to tell you this than to just say it. James is dead."

"What?" Sirius asked in a frightened voice.

"It's my fault - " Harry began.

"No Harry, it was never your fault. It was Voldemort's fault," Remus interrupted harshly.

"Moony, what the hell happened?"

"Well, sixteen years ago, James and his wife went in hiding because they knew Voldemort wanted to kill Harry."

"Who would want to kill a baby? Why?"

Harry responded quietly, "There was a prophesy that foretold my birth, and stated that I, and only I, would have the power to defeat Voldemort once and for all."

Sirius took a moment to absorb this. "Who was James' wife? Who was your mother, Harry?"

"Lily Evans."

An image of James' long-time crush floated into Sirius' mind. Long flowing red hair and vibrant green eyes; eyes exactly the color and shape of Harry's, who saw the understanding dawn on Sirius and nodded before continuing.

"Anyway, Mum and Dad went into hiding, and they used the Fidelius Charm to mask their location. Only their secret-keeper could tell anyone where we were, and even if Voldemort had looked into our kitchen windows, he would not have seen us or known we were there. But we were betrayed by our secret-keeper. Voldemort knew where to find us and on Halloween of 1981 he came to our home to kill me, and anyone who got in his way."

"Like James," said Sirius slowly, and when Harry merely stared at him without saying anything, Sirius understood it to mean _and Lily._

"Who would do this? Who would betray James and Lily?" Sirius asked the question they had feared, and Harry looked away mournfully.

It was a moment before Remus cleared his throat, drawing Sirius' attention. "It was Peter, Sirius."

"WHAT?" Sirius whispered loudly, as if actually speaking such a thing would be too much to ask.

Remus' eyes hardened as he remembered the betrayal, "We had all been working to fight Voldemort at the time. We belonged to an organization known as the Order of the Phoenix – you, me, James, Lily, Peter, Frank and Alice Longbottom, Gideon and Fabian Prewitt, and many others. The Death Eaters seemed to know our every move, and we knew there was a spy among us, but we couldn't figure out whom. It had been Peter all along, and when James and Lily made him their secret-keeper, he handed them to Voldemort on a silver platter."

Sirius was astounded. **HOW** could Peter have betrayed them? How could he have done something so ruthless and heartless? Wasn't he their friend? The Marauders had been like brothers, how could it have all gone so wrong? And another thing –

"Why did they choose Peter? Why not Dumbledore or you or even me?" Sirius asked.

Here Remus looked distinctly uncomfortable. Harry spoke up.

"Dumbledore volunteered, but James wouldn't hear of it. He thought Dumbledore had enough to deal with without another burden. So James asked you to do it. You were afraid that being the obvious choice, Voldemort would hunt you down and torture you until you cracked. Like you would have actually cracked. You would have **died** before betraying them (Sirius secretly agreed but did not interrupt). You couldn't bear the thought, so you came up with a plan. You told them to choose Peter because you thought Remus was the spy, and you thought no one would believe that James and Lily would choose a weakling like Wormtail to guard their secret."

"So it's my fault Prongs is dead," Sirius said – it was a statement, not a question, but Remus and Harry answered anyway.

"No!" They both cried.

"No Sirius," Harry continued, "It was Wormtail's fault for betraying them, and for spreading doubt about Remus among you, and it's Voldemort's fault for killing them, but it is not and never was your fault. I didn't blame you before and I don't blame you now!"

There was a fire in Harry's eyes when he said this to Sirius that frightened him a little. He had never known some one who had so much passion burning inside them. At the same time that fire seemed to fill Sirius with the warmth of hope. No one, not even James, had ever held such crystal clear conviction about Sirius before, and it made him incredibly happy, though he didn't know why.

Remus and Harry spent the rest of the day explaining all that had happened to the 'other' Sirius and how he had died, and showing him pictures of various people and events. The three found a rapport reserved for deep and true friendships.

Despite missing his friends and his former life a great deal, Sirius couldn't help but be a bit excited about this chance to make his life better this time. He couldn't change the past, and the loss of James was almost more than he could bear, but having Harry there made it so much easier, and Sirius found he had never been so comfortable around someone new so quickly in his life.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the wonderful characters in JKR's books, because if I did, Sirius would be alive. SIRIUS LIVES ON IN OUR HEARTS!**

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**Previously:**

Despite missing his friends and his former life a great deal, Sirius couldn't help but be a bit excited about this chance to make his life better this time. He couldn't change the past, and the loss of James was almost more than he could bear, but having Harry there made it so much easier, and Sirius found he had never been so comfortable around someone new so quickly in his life.

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Sirius was released from the Hospital Wing the next day. Professor McGonagall placed him back into Gryffindor, saying he needed to be with friends. She set up another bed in Harry's dorm and had a trunk with robes and books arranged for him. She also put him on Harry's schedule, including the additional training (because he asked to join), because she could tell it made Harry happy to spend time with Sirius, and no one had seen him that happy in a long time.

When McGonagall introduced him to the school as an "exchange student" who had been sorted into Gryffindor, he noticed just how, well – not full – Hogwarts seemed now. He asked Harry about it over lunch.

"Since Dumbledore died, things have really changed. It seems all the students whose parents are Death Eaters (or who want to hide from the fight) are forcing their children to stay home instead of coming here. There are a lot of people who are afraid, Sirius. They don't know that McGonagall can protect us as well as Dumbledore did," Harry answered him truthfully.

Hermione and Ron came up to the table just then. Sirius had met them when he returned that morning to Gryffindor Tower with Harry, when they practically pounced on him, demanding to know where he had been the past two days.

Hermione, who reminded Sirius of Remus (although slightly more bookish then old Moony) and Lily combined, almost had a heart attack when she saw Sirius. Ron (who Sirius had already learned he like immensely – the boy was a great deal like himself), had taken it in relative stride (too much had happened to faze him now), and both had immediately welcomed Sirius with open arms after they had learned his story.

"So Sirius, are you planning to do any marauding now that you are back on a regular school schedule?" Ron asked as he piled food onto his plate.

"Of course, and Prongslet here is going to help me," replied Sirius with an **isn't-it-obvious** look on his face, while wrapping his arm around Harry's shoulders.

Hermione looked shocked at Harry who immediately laughed and said, "Come on Hermione, when's the last time we had a good laugh around here."

"Really Harry your Head Boy, you must be a role model to the younger students," Hermione replied mock-seriously, trying to stop a grin.

Unfortunately Ron failed to pick up on her subtlety, "Hermione, he's Head Boy, not Head Stick in the Mud. He knows how to have some fun, unlike you."

Hermione immediately became cross, "_Excuse_ me, Ronald…"

It was at this point Harry rolled his eyes and Sirius tuned them out as they launched into yet another ridiculous argument. He didn't know what kind of relationship the two friends had going on, and apparently neither did they. Sirius had never seen a more clueless pair in his life. Harry agreed.

"You don't know the half of it. I've been putting up with their 'do I or don't I' attitude for _years_. I'm sorely tempted to bash them over the heads with a troll's club and lock them in a room until they resolve this one way or the other."

Sirius could only laugh and agree to help if it came to that.

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A week into Sirius' new life he noticed something else. For the first time in his school life he wasn't the center of attention. It seemed Harry had his own fan club. Hordes of giggling girls would follow them around in the corridors, and while Sirius got his share of the attention and admiring looks, nearly the entire school seemed entranced by Harry. The young man seemed to have more popularity than Sirius and James combined.

The craziest part was Harry usually either didn't notice or completely ignored the attention. Sirius didn't understand why Harry didn't have a different girl hanging off his arm every day. He was clearly very good looking, and he had the same lean figure and height of James, as well as the trademark messy black hair, which always looked like he'd just been on a broom ride (which joyfully they did whenever they could), or had come from a quick tumble in the broom closet (which he never was). Sirius decided on Friday to ask him about it.

"Hey Harry, why do you ignore all the attention, anyway?" Sirius casually brought up as they played wizard chess while Ron and Hermione watched.

The three friends looked at each other, and Harry turned back to the game with a slight frown. He responded after making his next move, "Remember what I told you about Voldemort?" When Sirius nodded, Harry continued, "Most of the attention I get is from that, which kind of pisses me off to tell the truth, because I didn't **do** anything to merit this hero worship. I'm just me, but they (here he waved his arm out, indicating the world in general) don't seem to understand that most of the time. There are of course, a few exceptions." Harry looked at Hermione and Ron and grinned. "And now, you too."

When Harry said this he smiled and looked at Sirius in the eyes, cocking his head to the side as if asking Sirius if that were true. _'He is so cute' _thought Sirius, who blushed a little and nodded. Harry found his reaction a bit odd, but merely ginned wider and turned back to the game. It was Sirius' move.

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One night Harry came up to the dorms to find Sirius already asleep. He looked at his 'newest' friend, who already understood Harry the same way he previously had, without trying to father him or tell him what to do. Harry greatly admired Sirius for his efforts to deal with this overwhelming circumstance and try to grab hold of his new life with no regrets.

That wasn't all Harry admired though.

Harry had always appreciated the male body, and though he had never dated blokes, he occasionally fantasized about them. And Sirius was _so beautiful._ Harry didn't think he'd ever seen such a beautiful man in all his life. He had smooth pale skin, silky dark hair and bottomless gray eyes that pulled you in. Harry could see Sirius' long eyelashes dusting his lovely high cheekbones in the moonlight, and he watched his friend's muscular bare chest rise and fall rhythmically as he slept.

Harry didn't really know what to make of his attraction to the man who was – sort of – his godfather. He remembered the old Sirius, gaunt and worn from twelve years in Azkaban and a year on the run, and he remembered how Sirius had returned to relative health, but his eyes always held a shadow from his life in prison. And still, even then Harry had considered him a handsome man. But he had never thought of _that_ Sirius the way he was thinking of _this_ one. Shaking his head, Harry got dressed for bed and fell to sleep; tired from all the homework and research they had been doing, and looking forward to a (hopefully) dreamless sleep.

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Sirius was wrapped up in a wonderful dream. He and James were walking by the lake with only the light of the crescent moon to guide them. They were talking and joking like old times, thinking up new pranks to play and making fun of each other's love lives. The talk turned more serious, maybe more mature is a better word, as they talked about what they wanted to do in their lives and other such topics.

James turned to Sirius and took his hand. "I've got to go now, Padfoot."

"What do you mean?" asked Sirius.

"I've got to get back to Lily, and you need to let me go and find someone to love you. I know how you felt about me Sirius - "

Sirius turned away blushing, but James brought a hand up to his chin and gently pulled him back to face him. "I know that you wanted to be with me, but didn't want to say anything because I loved Lily. I know. And I'm okay with it. I love you too, Padfoot, but I wasn't meant for you. You need to find someone truly meant for you. Someone who fills your heart with joy."

James turned to leave and Sirius cried, "No, please don't leave me alone."

A cloud passed over the moon as 'James' turned back. He leaned into Sirius and kissed him gently. Sirius immediately returned the kiss, pulling him closer, not wanting to let go. As the moon reappeared, they pulled apart, still holding each other, and 'James' opened his eyes.

"All right, Sirius. I'll stay with you, I promise."

Sirius did not fail to notice that his eyes were now a beautiful green as he pulled the other boy in for another kiss.

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Sirius woke with a start. _'Damn, just when my dream was getting good.'_

He heard someone calling him in the dark.

"No Sirius - get away from the veil – got to save him – no – no…."

Sirius looked around the room and discovered the sounds were coming from Harry's bed. He crept over and pulled back the hangings just enough to slip in. He cast a silencing charm on the hangings to prevent Harry waking up the other boys, and went to wake him from his nightmare.

"No – no, I can save him! – He's just on the other side! – Remus let me go -." Harry continued ranting. He had this dream fairly regularly, although this was the first time Sirius had ever been witness to one of Harry's nightmares.

He reached out and gently shook Harry's shoulder. Surprisingly Harry shot upright, staring wildly around the room, taking in only his hangings and finally resting on Sirius himself. Harry immediately embraced him.

"Oh, it's you. I'm so glad to see you. I still can't believe you're here, and that you are here to stay. I know you're not him, but I don't want you to be, you know? I just need you to stay with me. Please don't leave me alone." Harry rambled on and on, whispering half-desperate words into Sirius' ear, making the other boy shiver.

Harry and Sirius held each other like this for a long time, neither really saying anything. Harry continued to mumble words of gratitude, while Sirius simply made comforting sounds and rubbed Harry's back. Finally, after what seemed like ages, Harry pulled back and looked into Sirius' eyes.

"This may sound stupid, but could you stay with me tonight? I don't want to sleep alone."

Sirius immediately agreed and they both laid down on Harry's bed facing each other, Sirius rubbing Harry's back in soothing circles again. Before long Harry was asleep again, but Sirius couldn't sleep. He keep replaying Harry's words over and over in his mind: _'Please don't leave me alone … I know you're not him, but I don't want you to be … I just need you to stay …'_

Sirius looked down at the sleeping boy in his arms. Harry looked so much like James, but there were little differences. Harry's eyes were almond shaped, and his nose was smaller. He had more prominent cheekbones and paler skin. He was _so incredibly beautiful_. Sirius doubted whether he had ever seen a more beautiful man in his life. His skin looked so soft, and his lips were pouty and full. And his _eyes_. When Harry looked at him with those amazing eyes, it was like he opened him up and read him like a book. He was totally exposed, and he wasn't afraid of it.

Sirius swallowed. He wondered what it would really be like to kiss those perfect lips. _'Harry's asleep, he'll never know'_ he reasoned with himself. Sirius lowered his head and brought his lips to Harry's in a gentle kiss. _'So soft'_ he thought as he unintentionally deepened the kiss.

He nearly yelped when Harry returned the kiss, but then he melted into it, allowing their lips to caress each other softly. It was like he was on fire; he had never felt like this before. Sirius was in heaven, and when he pulled away and realized Harry was still asleep, he breathed a sign of relief.

'_Now if I can just get him to do that when he's awake'_ he thought ruefully, before succumbing to sleep himself.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own the lyrics to the song in this chapter, that goes to the Village People. I also don't own Harry Potter or Sirius, because if I did there wouldn't be a question about them both being alive and happy. SIRIUS LIVES!**

**A/N: Oh my goodness! Thank you soooo much to everyone who reviewed! You don't know how much your support means to me, and I am sorry it has taken so long to update. Hopefully I won't take so long in the future, but if I slack off again you can feel free to complain and kick my butt and I will get on it right away. Here comes the next chapter…!**

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**Previously:**

_Sirius swallowed. He wondered what it would really be like to kiss those perfect lips. **'Harry's asleep, he'll never know'** he reasoned with himself. Sirius lowered his head and brought his lips to Harry's in a gentle kiss. **'So soft'** he thought as he unintentionally deepened the kiss. _

He nearly yelped when Harry returned the kiss, but then he melted into it, allowing their lips to caress each other softly. It was like he was on fire; he had never felt like this before. Sirius was in heaven, and when he pulled away and realized Harry was still asleep, he breathed a sign of relief.

'_**Now if I can just get him to do that when he's awake'** he thought ruefully, before succumbing to sleep himself._

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The next day Harry woke up to a wonderful view. Sirius' handsome face was mere inches from his, where the boy was sleeping on his bed, snuggled close to Harry with both arms around him in a loose hug. Harry couldn't help but smile, remembering the lovely dream he had in which Sirius kissed him so softly and sweetly, almost like a whispered endearment before sleep.

'_I could get used to waking up like this,'_ Harry mused.

Sirius stirred slightly and opened his eyes. The first thing he saw were those magnificent emerald pools staring back at him. They didn't say anything for a minute, and then Harry sighed and gave an adorable half smile.

"Good Morning."

"Mornin'."

"Did you sleep okay?"

Sirius stretched his body but didn't remove his arms from around Harry's body. "You know, I actually slept really well."

They looked at each other and smiled.

"We should probably get up," said Harry softly.

"Yeah, we should," Sirius replied just as quietly.

Neither boy moved. They just stared at each other, lost in the moment and excited by their close proximity. It was like time stopped – neither moved or spoke, but each seemed to want desperately to tell the other something, without actually having to say it.

And then it happened. The air suddenly became more charged, and Sirius' breath hitched. Harry flickered his gaze from Sirius' eyes to his slightly parted lips and back, and Sirius' heart skipped a beat. _'Oh please.'_

Just as Harry began to lean in, the sounds of the other boys in the dormitory waking brought them out of their trance. Harry looked at Sirius and let out a half-laugh that was almost a sigh, before smiling again and moving away.

'_Damn'_ thought Sirius wistfully as he got up and out of the bed. "Well, I better get ready for class…"

"Yeah," Harry replied, and you could have felt both their mournfulness at the loss of a perfect morning kiss.

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Sirius found himself in a fairly grumpy mood by lunchtime. Harry seemed too embarrassed by what _almost_ happened that morning to talk to him. Ron and Hermione had regressed to sneaking glances at each other during classes, which was proving to be quite annoying to everyone, and Sirius had just run out of his favorite Honeydukes chocolate. He was so lost in his own thoughts in Transfiguration that McGonagall was half a breath from giving him detention when class ended.

Sirius decided what he really needed to clear his head was a good prank. Too bad old Snivelly wasn't around anymore. '_Hmmm – what to do.'_ Preferably something that would get Harry's attention, was funny but not too malicious, and something he would probably get caught for – a **'Signature Sirius'** prank.

A slow, evil grin spread across his face as he made his way to the kitchens.

At dinner, the Great Hall was as usual crowded with students happily chatting and enjoying their meals when suddenly a sparkling disco ball appeared above the Slytherin table. Everyone looked confused, but then music began to play, and all the Slytherins stopped eating and jumped up on the table. They began to sing and dance.

**Young man**, there's no need to feel down.  
I said, **young man**, pick yourself off the ground.  
I said**, young man**, 'cause you're in a new town  
There's **no need – to – be – un-happy**.

**Young man**, there's a place you can go.  
I said, **young man**, when you're short on your dough.  
You can **stay there**, and I'm sure you will find   
Many **ways – to – have – a – good - time**.

It's fun to stay at the **Y-M-C-A**.  
It's fun to stay at the **Y-M-C-A**.

They have everything for you men to enjoy,   
You can hang out with all the boys ...

It's fun to stay at the **Y-M-C-A**.  
It's fun to stay at the **Y-M-C-A**.

You can get yourself cleaned, you can have a good meal,  
You can do whatever you feel ...

At this point the rest of the students had gotten well past the initial shock and were - simply put – hysterical with laughter.

Ordinarily, McGonagall would have put a stop to the prank, especially before they reached the chorus, but there hadn't been this much laughter at Hogwarts in a long time. And so it continued unabated…

**Young man**, are you listening to me?  
I said **young man**, what do you want to be?  
I said** young man**, you can make real your dreams.  
But you **got – to – know – this – one - thing**!

No man does it all by himself.  
I said, **young man**, put your pride on the shelf,  
And just **go there**, to the Y.M.C.A.  
I'm sure **they – can - help – you – to-day**.

The Slytherins clearly had no control over their actions, as their faces burned with embarrassment. Seeing that the professors had no intention of saving the Slytherins (even sensible and kind-hearted Remus was rolling on the floor, laughing so hard tears were leaking from his eyes), and not wanting the poor group of non-Death Eaters to suffer alone, Harry Potter made a command decision no one could have predicted.

Still laughing hard, Harry climbed on top of the Gryffindor table and began to sing along, complete with goofy dance moves.

It's fun to stay at the **Y-M-C-A**.  
It's fun to stay at the **Y-M-C-A**.

He was almost immediately joined by Sirius, Seamus Finnegan, Dean Thomas, Colin and Dennis Creevy, and (to even her own shock) Hermione. Growing up with or around Muggles (or in Sirius' case, knowing the song because he set up the prank), they all were familiar with the song, so didn't hesitate to sing along.

They have everything for you men to enjoy,   
You can hang out with all the boys ...

It's fun to stay at the **Y-M-C-A**.  
It's fun to stay at the **Y-M-C-A**. 

You can get yourself cleaned, you can have a good meal,  
You can do whatever you feel ...

**Young man**, I was once in your shoes.  
I said **young man**, I was down and out with the blues.  
I felt **no man** cared if I were alive.  
I felt **the – whole – world – was – so - tight** ...

Before long students all over the hall were joining in, and many Muggleborns were leading their wizarding compatriots in the song and the dance moves. Soon there wasn't a student at Hogwarts who wasn't a part of the performance.

**That's when** someone came up to me,  
And said, **young man**, take a walk up the street.  
There's a **place there** called the Y.M.C.A.  
They can **start – you – back – on – your - way**.

It's fun to stay at the **Y-M-C-A**.  
It's fun to stay at the **Y-M-C-A**.

They have everything for you men to enjoy,  
You can hang out with all the boys ...

**Y-M-C-A** ... you'll find it at the **Y-M-C-A**.

Young man, young man, there's no need to feel down.  
Young man, young man, get yourself off the ground. 

**Y-M-C-A**... you'll find it at the **Y-M-C-A**….

When the song was over everyone cheered and the professors applauded. Harry turned to Sirius and hugged him warmly, whispering "Thank you" very close to his ear. Sirius blushed as Harry pulled away, and Harry flashed him a brilliant smile, his emerald eyes glowing with a delighted light of life and laughter Sirius had never seen before. It took his breath away.

Harry jumped off the table and joined many students calling for bows and encores from the Slytherins. Sirius' gaze followed Harry's movements, his blush still firmly in place.

Unfortunately for him, someone noticed Harry's actions and his reactions. Amber eyes took on an intrigued yet moderately wary light, and one Remus Lupin resolved to speak to his old friend soon about any impending feelings the canine had towards his 'cub' (as he had secretly taken to thinking of Harry since Sirius' death).


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: If I owned the HP world, why oh why would I get rid of a perfect character like Sirius?**

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**Previously:**

Unfortunately for him, someone noticed Harry's actions and his reactions. Amber eyes took on an intrigued yet moderately wary light, and one Remus Lupin resolved to speak to his old friend soon about any impending feelings the canine had towards his 'cub' (as he had secretly taken to thinking of Harry since Sirius' death).

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Remus got his chance the following day.

Harry and Ron had Quidditch practice; at first Harry had outright refused to captain or even rejoin the Quidditch team, but Ron and Ginny had convinced him to simply recruit and train an entire reserve team – especially in light of the many times they had needed replacement players the previous year. Today both teams were playing a scrimmage match as their practice, and Sirius was one of many Gryffindors who had come out to watch.

This was where Remus had found his friend.

While it had at first been strange teaching (or in Sirius' case learning) Defense Against the Dark Arts to his old friend, they had vowed to remain close and met up several times a week to talk. So there was no real awkwardness in their conversations, or need for an excuse to talk. Today, however, Remus had not one reason but two.

"Hey Padfoot."

Sirius tore his eyes away from the match to give his friend a large grin and a brief hug. "Moony!"

Remus smiled and looked high above the pitch, where a figure with wild black hair circled the pitch while shouting instructions, advice and compliments to his team.

"Harry's quite the flyer, isn't he?"

Harry apparently was also searching for the Snitch and trying to shake his reserve Seeker at the same time. Sirius' eyes lit up as he too turned back in time to see Harry perform a perfect Wronski Feint.

"I've never seen anyone like him." Sirius exalted Harry's skill, " He could play for England! He's even better than James – and I never thought I'd say that. He'd be so proud."

This last sentence put both them into a melancholy mood for a while, and they watched the game in silence, remembering their lost brother.

"You know, apart from his looks, he's really very different from him."

"Who?"

"Harry. It's like he's the same as Prongs, but different. He's his own person, I guess?" Sirius stated, really making an observation without need for a response.

Remus contemplated this. He already knew this fact about Harry, of course, from his knowledge of the young man in Harry's third year. But the 'other Sirius' had always had trouble understanding that, or even accepting it until very near the end of his life, when he and Remus had stayed up all night after Harry had spoken to them in the fire, coming to terms with who Harry really was and what Harry had truly needed from Sirius.

Those plans had never come to fruition, but maybe now Padfoot could find a new place in Harry's life. Remembering his purpose in coming down to the pitch, Remus broke the silence.

"Well, Padfoot, I came by for a reason, after all. I noticed that when you got your new supplies, you didn't get a broom. I know how you love to fly, so… I got you one." And he presented the younger man with a shiny new Nimbus 2000.

"Wow Moony!" Padfoot exclaimed, his hands eagerly grasping his new broom.

"I know it's not as nice as a Firebolt…"

"Are you kidding? This is **great**! Thank you!" Sirius embraced Remus fiercely, which Remus happily returned.

Padfoot excitedly examined his new broom as his friend described its features. When Moony was done, Padfoot asked the 6 million-galleon question:

"By the way, how'd Harry get that Firebolt anyway? I hear they're really expensive."

Remus chuckled, "I'm surprised he didn't already tell you."

When Sirius just looked at him confused, he continued, "He got the broom from you. Rather, the 'other Sirius' bought it for him in his third year after his old one was destroyed by the Whomping Willow."

"**I** gave him that broom?"

"I believe you told me something along the lines of: 'Consider it 13 years worth of Christmas and Birthday gifts rolled into one,' or something like that. Only Sirius Black could find a way to buy me a gift when he was on the run from the Ministry," a deep voice laughed.

Both men turned to see Harry hovering in front of them, a big grin on his face and his hair even more of a rumpled mess than usual.

"A Nimbus 2000, huh?" Harry looked appreciatively at the broom in Sirius' hands. "That's a good model. Practice is over. Ron, Dean and I were going to have a race. You up for it?"

Sirius jumped to his feet at the challenge. "You're on Potter!"

Harry turned lively green eyes to Remus, a mischievous grin on his face. "How about you, Professor?"

"Oh no, I don't think so Harry. I really ought to be heading back -"

"What's the matter Moony?" Sirius interrupted, "Too old and professor-y to fly with us kids? Scared we'll whoop your butt? Because we surely will." Sirius taunted, now hovering over the stands as well.

"Yeah! Come on, **Moony**," Harry joined in, "Live a little. I'll even let you ride my broom. It's not like you would have a fighting chance against me otherwise." The overconfident jeers and spark of laughter in the emerald depths reminded Remus so forcibly of James that he could not help but laugh and accept the challenge.

Harry cheered and landed in the stands, pausing only to hand over his precious Firebolt with care before racing off to get another broom.

For a minute Remus just held it, amazed that Harry cared about him and trusted him enough to want him to not only race with them, but on his broom. He was broken out of his sentimental reverie, however, but a whining Padfoot.

"Come **on**! Are we racing today or next century?"

Moony grinned and kicked off from the stands, doing a few joy laps around the pitch before the race. For the first time in many years, the light of his youth returned to his face, making him look healthier and younger. For the rest of the day the boys raced and played on each other's brooms, refusing to return to the castle until after dark.

Remus decided to wait on his 'talk' with his friend about a prospective romantic relationship with Harry. There was still time, after all, and he didn't want to weigh either of them down with serious discussions.

Besides, he wanted to bask in the joy of beating Harry Potter and three other 17 year olds in 3 races for a while longer.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey everyone. Sorry for the delay, and for the apparently short chapters. As a full time art student, I can only work on my stories in my spare time - and there ain't a whole lot of spare time going around. But thank you again for all the fantastic reviews – you guys really make my day! Unfortunately there will probably be more delays in updates as the semester progresses, but I will try to do better in the future. And I will try to lengthen my chapters, but generally breaks seem to happen when they want to (in which case I try to add more than one chapter at a time). **

**Disclaimer: If I owned the HP world, why oh why would I get rid of a perfect character like Sirius?**

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**Previously:**

Remus decided to wait on his 'talk' with his friend about a prospective romantic relationship with Harry. There was still time, after all, and he didn't want to weigh either of them down with serious discussions.

Besides, he wanted to bask in the joy of beating Harry Potter and three other 17 year olds in 3 races for a while longer.

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The weekend had left Remus in an excellent mood, which he had managed to carry over into Wednesday afternoon. What brought him back to reality was the way Sirius and Harry had begun to act around each other.

Brief, sideways glances had turned into full-blown stares when the other wasn't looking. They were caught more than once out of bounds after curfew, but since they usually had food or dungbombs with them, Remus was fairly sure that they weren't out snogging – just being teenage boys. Many students had begun to comment about the large black dog they saw all the time hanging around Harry Potter around the grounds. And it was suddenly like everywhere that Harry went, the dog was sure to follow – both in human and animal form.

Remus also noticed – thanks to his years of research into the mating rituals of Mr. Padfoot – that Sirius had progressed into 'pre-flirting'. While Harry and Sirius always sat together, now Sirius pointedly and unmistakably sat closer. And catching them laughing or happily chatting was no unfamiliar sight. It would bring a nostalgic smile to Remus' face as he remembered the friendship of another Potter and another Sirius Black. That is, until Sirius began – **touching** – Harry more often and for longer than was strictly necessary. Nothing too obvious – Sirius was too subtle and cunning for that: light touches on his arms or legs, draping an arm around his shoulders or waist as the walked, constantly bumping him when they headed off to the Quidditch pitch, and just generally hugging him and being very 'touchy-feely' with Harry.

It didn't help Remus' growing worry that Harry sent out lots of encouraging signals. He never objected to Sirius getting closer – both emotionally and physically. He and Sirius had taken to sitting together in every class, even if it meant sitting away from Ron and Hermione. Harry smiled more, especially around Sirius, and just that morning Sirius had whispered something in his ear that had caused Harry first to lightly blush from the close contact, and then to laugh loudly and nod his head in agreement. He also managed to send Sirius a hundred megawatt smile that had the other boy blushing in turn.

'And now they're planning larger pranks together' Remus thought with a sigh. It was definitely time to have that chat with Sirius about his intentions.

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Sirius came to Moony's office just like the note had asked. He certainly wasn't going to complain that Remus had gotten him out of Potions, but his friend had been acting somewhat shifty since the weekend. And now he had pulled Sirius from a class to talk to him. Clearly something was up. Something big.

He knocked twice before heading on into the office without invitation.

Remus looked up from the papers he was grading and raised a brow at his friend.

"Well, you did ask me here. Why wait for you to invite me in?"

Remus smiled and offered Sirius some tea. When they were settled, Remus started in with some small talk until Sirius called him on it.

"Moony, you didn't call me out of class to shoot the breeze. What was so urgent it couldn't wait until later? Is something wrong?"

Remus regarded his too-insightful friend and sighed. "I wanted to make sure we weren't interrupted. I need to talk to you about Harry."

"Harry? Did something happen? Is it Voldemort?" Sirius asked anxiously.

Remus laughed, "Calm down Padfoot, it's nothing that serious." He winced when Sirius grinned, but continued, "I need to talk to you about what's going on with you and Harry."

Sirius eyed him warily, "What do you mean what's going on with me and Harry?"

Moony sighed again. "Exactly. I want to know if something is happening there. I know you Sirius, and I can tell when you fancy someone."

Sirius looked momentarily shocked that he had been so easily found out, but this was Moony, and Moony always knew everything. The animagus laughed and shook his head; "I should have know I can't keep anything from you."

"Well, what I really want to know is – how serious is this? Is this just a passing fling or –"

Sirius was quick to defend himself, "No way Moony! I mean, I don't know if I love him or anything, I just know that I fancy him. I fancy him like mad and I think he might fancy me too."

Moony looked at his long-time friend for a quite some time. "I guess that's all I can ask. Except maybe – why **Harry**?" he whined. "You could probably get nearly any boy in the school…"

A sly grin spread across Sirius' handsome face. "Are you kidding? What's not to like? He's sweet and smart and funny and **gorgeous** and he likes all the same things as me…"

And then Sirius was off and rolling on this train of thought, showering Remus with all the wonder that is Harry. It turned into quite possibly the single most embarrassing and annoying conversation of Moony's life. Harry was his cub, and as such occupied that lovely asexual area of his brain where such topics as his 'shag-ability' (Sirius' word) never dared venture. Remus had just decided to interrupt Sirius' lustful description of Harry and move to safer ground when the animagus jumped up, declaring he was starving after their long talk and was going to snag some food from the kitchens before heading back to classes.

As Sirius was leaving, there was a knock at the door. Both men looked surprised, but Sirius opened the door since he was there, and was mildly shocked and a little embarrassed at who the visitor was.

"Harry! How long have you – I mean, what are you doing here?" Sirius stammered.

Harry seemed a little surprised too – he hadn't expected Sirius to still be there. "Oh! Well, I just needed to talk to Professor Lupin so I dropped by in the hope he was available. I can come back later…" Harry said apologetically, moving away from the door.

"No! No, it's fine!" Sirius called out, stopping Harry before he left. "I was just leaving anyway," he explained, stepping out of the office and into the corridor.

Remus had been watching their exchange from behind his desk, moderately amused by their awkwardness. Harry had never been a lady-killer, but he had his share of success in relationships, and Sirius was usually overflowing with confidence, and was well know to have been able to get any girl (or guy) he wanted. To see them both so flustered was adorably sweet.

"Come on in Harry," he called to his cub.

Harry looked at him and glanced back to Sirius, who was making his way down the hall. "Just a second," he said, striding off toward Sirius and calling out to him.

When Padfoot had stopped and turned back, Harry moved in **very** close to him ('Almost unreasonably close for just friends' thought Remus) and whispered something in Sirius' ear. Unfortunately they were too far away to hear, but Remus couldn't mistake the redness of Sirius' cheeks, or the way his lips turned up in a mischievous grin as he listened to Harry. When the younger man had finished, he pulled back with a questioning look in his eyes. Sirius instantly put him at ease when he said, "Of course I will."

Harry's face lit up, and he hugged Sirius and kissed his cheek. He dashed back to the door of the Defense professor's office, and looked back at the still stunned Sirius. "Okay, so tomorrow night, seven o'clock, right?"

"Right," Sirius replied in a near whisper, and as Harry entered Remus' office and shut the door, he left with a hand to his cheek and a huge smile on his face.

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Harry leaned back against Remus' door with a soft smile on his face – lost in his own thoughts.

'Uh-oh' Remus thought 'Did he just ask Sirius out?'

"So Harry," he said, infusing calm and understanding into his voice and breaking the young man out of his reverie, "what can I do for you?"

The boy flushed, a small smile still on his face as he plopped into a chair in front of Remus' desk. "Ummmm – Yeah… Professor, I think I… I…boy this is weird."

Remus chuckled, "Tell you what, why don't you call me Remus or Moony when we're not in class? Does that make it less weird?"

Harry stared at him for a moment, and then broke out in a huge grin. "Yeah, yeah it really does."

They just sat in silence for a moment, happily regarding each other in their new level of trust and understanding. Harry broke the quiet moment with some levity.

"So, how's Tonks?" Harry asked with a smirk.

Remus knew what he was doing and laughed outright. "Things didn't work out too well on that front."

Harry feigned shock, "And why ever not Moony?" He gaped for added effect.

"Because she isn't a man."

Harry just quirked an eyebrow and waited.

Remus sighed. 'The truth comes out…'

"Because she isn't Sirius." He looked down at the desk, awaiting Harry's reaction.

But if he was expecting anger or revulsion at his announcement, he was sorely mistaken.

"Glad you're finally talking about it."

Remus looked up at Harry in shock. "You knew?"

"I had a hunch. You pretty much confirmed it when you agreed to spy on the werewolves. It took a while but I realized you weren't running away from me or even Tonks. You were running from Grimmauld Place and the memory of him, weren't you?"

Remus nodded sadly.

A deep sorrow filled his heart as he remembered his lost friend and lover. Sure, in their youth there hadn't been the kind of passion either of them sought in a relationship, so they didn't commit to each other. But after Azkaban, things changed. They were both the same, and yet **so different**. The twelve-year absence had made their hearts grow fonder, and somewhere between Harry's fourth and fifth year they had become lovers. It wasn't a burning, take-on-the-world romance, but it was most definitely the most wonderful, loving relationship Remus had ever had. He didn't regret it for a second.

Harry offered up a small smile. "Is it weird, seeing him here?"

Remus shook off his melancholy and gave Harry a genuinely warm smile in return. "You know, I thought it would be. But that isn't my lover Sirius, that is my good friend – no, my **best** friend – Padfoot. For him, there was no Azkaban, no life on the run, no betrayals of friendship. His slate has been wiped clean, and I am happy for him." A faraway look came to his eyes.

"Still, sometimes when I see him, I long for my Sirius."

"We both do."

They sat in silence, each lost in their own memories of a brave and clever man who would always hold a special place in their hearts.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: So here's another one because the last chapter was begging me to end there because of what happens next. Please forgive me for the shortness again of the last chapter, but hopefully this will make up for it.**

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Co. Not mine. Never was.**

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**Previously:**

(Remus) **"Still, sometimes when I see him, I long for my Sirius."**

(Harry) **"We both do."**

They sat in silence, each lost in their own memories of a brave and clever man who would always hold a special place in their hearts.

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Professors Lupin and McGonagall were deep in conversation about both school and Order business as they walked down one of the many corridors of Hogwarts School. They turned a corner and stopped at the sight of a large black dog chasing its tail. They watched it for a moment before it caught sight of them and barked happily, jumping around them as if asking them to play.

"Really Mr. Black, do try to show some composure," said Professor McGonagall testily. "Besides," she fought back a smile, "you know dogs aren't allowed in the castle."

Sirius transformed, a shocked and accusing look on his face as he rounded on Remus. "You **told!**"

Before Remus could reply, McGonagall cut him off. "Actually Sirius, it was **you **who told me of the remarkable feat you and James accomplished. And while I am proud two of my Gryffindors could do such a thing," and here her expression turned stern again, "I expect you to register your form as **soon** as the war is over. Do I make myself clear?"

Sirius nodded fearfully and dumbly, while Remus stifled a laugh.

"Good day gentlemen. I have important school business to attend to," and she left in a flurry of robes.

"You know – she's getting really good at making her entrances and exits," Sirius commented sagely. Remus simply shook his head.

"Oh Sirius," Remus stated as if he'd only just spotted the young man at that moment, "you wouldn't by chance know why there's a blizzard in the Charms corridor, would you?"

"You mean the Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes Winter Wonderland that a couple of devilishly handsome evil geniuses set off in a ploy to get out of class?"

"Yes, that would be the one."

"I have no idea what you're talking about Professor," Sirius replied, his face the very picture of youthful innocence and his eyes full of mirth. Remus had no doubt Padfoot would have charmed a glowing halo over his head if he could have gotten away with it.

Moony smirked, "Somehow I thought not."

"Indeed."

"And just **why** would these two 'devilishly handsome evil geniuses' choose to do **that** particular prank?"

"Getting into the holiday spirit?"

"It's October, Sirius."

"Exactly. Gotta start early."

Remus struggled not to laugh, but it was no use. He burst out in laughter, while Sirius merely grinned and momentarily plotted his next prank to get his old friend laughing some more.

Sirius looked at his watch. "Well Professor Moony, if there's nothing else, I must be off." He smirked. "Got a hot date!"

Remus' eyes widened and he called out, "Padfoot, wait!"

But Sirius had already transformed into the Grim-like dog and bounded off in the direction of Gryffindor Tower. 'Just be gentle with my cub' he thought as the memory of his conversation with Harry yesterday came to mind…

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After sharing a few funny stories about the 'old Sirius', Remus and Harry had moved on to lighter topics until Remus pushed his favorite student to discuss his real reason for coming to chat.

"Would it be weird for you if he and I started dating?"

"Who?"

"Padfoot."

Remus had to think about that….

"No," he said, sounding surprised at his own answer, "I wouldn't be bothered by that at all. I just don't see him as the same person as my Sirius, and in truth, he really isn't that same person."

"Do you think he's serious?" Harry made a face at his pun-ny question as Remus smirked. "You know what I mean! He seems interested in me, but I know he has a bit of a reputation…" he trailed off.

'I could say no and put a stop to this before anyone gets hurt' Remus thought.

'**But how do you know anyone will get hurt?'** another voice in his head, that sounded suspiciously like Sirius, argued.

"You know him better than anyone Remus. Does he fancy me or is he just playing around?" Harry asked anxiously.

'**Could you really do that to your best friend?'**

"How do you feel about him, Harry?" Remus stalled.

"I fancy him. A lot…. He's fun and smart and handsome and he makes me laugh… Oh hell, I fancy the pants off him." Harry sighed in slight frustration.

"Literally or figuratively?"

"Moony!"

"Okay! I'm sorry! I couldn't resist." Remus laughed, throwing up his hands in mock surrender. He looked at Harry, who looked desperate for affirmation or denial about his chances with Sirius, and made up his mind…

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Harry bit his lip. 'He's late. Maybe he changed his mind.' He stood up and paced. 'I shouldn't have asked him. He probably doesn't think I'm good enough. I shouldn't have asked him. I should just - '

Just then the portrait swung open and a huge black dog rushed into the common room and bowled the distracted Harry over.

"Harry!" Sirius panted, beads of sweat running down his face, "I'm so sorry I'm late. I had to shake off Filch and his bloody cat. I've been running all over the castle for almost an hour! I'm sorry!"

'Oh god – you're so adorable!' Harry couldn't help but laugh. "It's okay Sirius. You're not that late. Just relax and we'll go in a minute when you've caught your breath." He smiled at his anxious friend. "You know, you're pretty cute when you're flustered."

Sirius' face erupted with color and Harry laughed again. He went to get a towel for his sweaty friend. Sirius took several deep breaths and tried to relax. He really liked Harry and wanted to make a good impression, but the evening was not going as he hoped so far. The Boy-Who-Lived-To-Make-Sirius-Blush returned with a slightly damp hand towel, and while he was cooling down Padfoot studied his crush.

Harry was still wearing his uniform, but he had ditched the tie and unbuttoned his shirt a bit, and he had rolled up the sleeves exposing lean, muscular forearms. His robes were off, and his hair was wild and ruffled again from him running his hands through it too many times. He looked good enough to eat.

"You ready?"

"All set. Where are we going?"

"The Room of Requirement. We can have some privacy there." At Sirius' blank look Harry elaborated, "It's a room that can become anything you need it to be. Dobby the house-elf helped me locate it. It's only there when you need it to be, which is probably why the Marauders never added it to the map. It's not far, come on, I'll show you."

Harry reached out his hand and helped Sirius up off the floor. When Sirius was standing Harry didn't let go – instead opting to keep a hold of the other boy's hand all the way to the blank stretch of wall across from the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy.

Harry let go of Sirius and began to pace back and forth, a look of concentration on his face.

"Ummmm, what are you doing?" Sirius asked.

Harry simply smiled as a door appeared in the wall beside him. He opened it and gestured Sirius in.

Sirius stepped into the room and looked around in awe. It seemed like a cozier version of the Gryffindor Common Room, with only two arm chairs and a sofa near the roaring fire, a small table full of snacks, and a couple of full bookshelves on either side of the hearth. Along a far wall a small potion-making area was located, ingredients and cauldrons awaiting use, and a large empty space was in between with many cushions stacked neatly nearby and a full-length mirror opposite.

Harry came in with a grin and locked the door behind him. It melted back into the wall. "So, what do you think?"

"This is **amazing**! I can't believe I never knew this was here!"

Harry smirked, "Don't worry too much, even Dumbledore wasn't ever able to find it again after he stumbled across it once. I used to run a secret Defense organization out of this room. It's quite handy when you want to keep what you're doing quiet."

He paused, and then added bitterly, "Too bad some less reputable sorts discovered it." But he seemed to want to stay in a good mood, because he brightened again and said, "But anyway, I figure this would be perfect for us."

"It really is," Sirius replied happily, rubbing his hands together, "Oooh, the trouble we can plan in **here**!"

Harry just laughed, and Sirius thought (not for the first time), what a great sound it was.

"So…."

"So…." Harry replied, looking slightly nervous.

"Well, Harry, I know what you asked, but it won't be easy."

"I know, but it's important to me."

Sirius smiled gently, then clapped his hands together loudly, "All right then! Let's make you into an Animagus!"

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Remus was pacing in his office, worried sick that Harry and Sirius were on a date, and if they were, what they were doing.

'What if something goes wrong? What if things don't work out and they hate each other? What if things **do** work out and they fall in love? What if I have a mental breakdown from all this **'what if'-ing** and get shipped off to St. Mungo's? GAH!'

"Really Remus, surely whatever's bothering you cannot be that bad."

Remus spun around at the sound, and came face to face with the ever cheerful (and perhaps too nosy) Albus Dumbledore, who had taken the chair by the fireplace of the still life painting in Remus' office, and looked quite at ease.

"Professor - " at Dumbledore's look, he amended, "Albus, what are you doing here?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled and he simply smiled knowingly, "Can an old man not simply visit with his favorite student-turned-professor?"

"Not really. At least not you," Remus replied dryly.

Dumbledore chuckled. "You know me too well Remus. I thought I'd check up on you. I haven't talked to you since before Sirius returned. How are you doing?"

"Me? I'm great actually. I can't tell you how great it is to have my friend back," Remus replied genuinely. "I know it's only been a little under a month, but he's really settled in, and we still spend time together and talk, so it's not like I feel left out." Remus grinned, "And I have a feeling Sirius is planning to utilize his evil influence over me soon to get my help planning a very large, overly complex prank that's sure to send at least one house in this school into total chaos."

Dumbledore laughed heartily. "Yes, I know you were the mastermind behind some of the Marauder's more – interesting – pranks. I am happy that you and Sirius are able to maintain your friendship." He paused, and then added, "How are Sirius and Harry getting along?"

Remus eyed him warily. "I think you already **know** how they are getting along, Albus. You don't need me to tell you."

Dumbledore merely stroked his beard and looked at the D.A.D.A. professor, patiently waiting.

"I'm worried, all right?"

"But they seem to be quite happy together, which we know they both deserve after the lives they've lived." Dumbledore replied.

"I'm not saying they don't, or that they aren't right for each other. But what if it doesn't work out between them and that drives a wedge in their friendship? Will I have to choose between my best friend and my cub? I don't think I can make that choice.

"Or worse, what if they fall in love and something happens to either one of them? This is war and Harry is the Number 1 Target. Voldemort could choose to kill or torture Sirius to get to Harry, or simply kill Harry outright. How would either of them go on after that? Harry – could he take that kind of heartbreak after all he's been through? And the only person who could ever bring Sirius out of that level of depression was James."

Dumbledore sighed as he looked at his worried friend. "I understand your fears, Remus. We all have had them about our loved ones, especially in dark times like these. But life is meant to be lived. We cannot lock them in a trunk to keep them safe from all the physical and emotional dangers in the world. And love is the strongest force in this world. It is that force that will help Harry defeat Voldemort once and for all. He needs as much of it in his life as he can get."

"Yes, I know," Remus sighed again. "That's why I told him what I did when we talked yesterday."

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"So basically, the process is, you learn the theory behind the transformation, you take a revealing potion to show you your form, you learn to transfigure inanimate and then animate objects into your form, then you take the animagus potion to help your body make the change, then you transform yourself," Sirius explained as he gracefully sprawled in his armchair.

Harry had been sitting back in his own armchair, popping Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans into his mouth as he listened to Sirius explain all the research he and James had done, and some of the mishaps they had along the way, before recapping what they had to do."

"How much theory are we talking about here?" Harry asked, leaning forward in his chair in interest.

"Well, we had no help, so we had to learn everything from scratch. Took us about 2 years just to figure that part out. But you're much further along in Hogwarts now than we were, and you have me to help you, so I imagine it won't take long to get through that, and we can probably get you making the transformation in…six months? Maybe less depending how good you are in transfiguration and how fast you learn the theory, because you **really** need to understand it, or you will have the same problem Peter (they both scowled) did – he was stuck with his tail for a week, while the rest of him was normal."

"Well, then I'll **definitely** make sure I get the theory down. We can't let anyone know about this – I plan to use this to my advantage." Harry thought for a moment, then made a face at all the books on the shelves, "This means a lot of reading, doesn't it?"

Sirius let out a loud laugh like a bark. "A bit. But I can teach you some of it without books, if you're better at learning that way."

"Yeah, I'm no Hermione – I don't learn from books well. But if you can just tell me some of this stuff, I think I could catch on quickly…" Harry said with an easy smile.

"We can start now if you like."

Harry looked around and stood up. He drew his wand. "Right. Well get your wand out."

Sirius grinned in curiosity, but did as Harry asked. "Okay, so why are we drawing wands?"

"Well," Harry began, and a jet of red light shot out of his wand at Sirius, who reflexively ducked to avoid it, "I have found over the years that I learn best in high-risk situations. So we're going to duel, and you're going to explain to me the theory behind the Animagus transformation."

Sirius had a feral grin on his face at the prospect of teaching Harry while dueling. "Interesting. Is there anything else you like to do in high-risk situations? **Petrificus Totalus!**"

"**Protego!** Wouldn't you like to know?" Harry answered, circling the sofa in a predatory manner as his eyes locked with Sirius'. "Now teach. **Incarcerous!**"

Sirius rolled away from the ropes that tried to bind him and laughed. "Hmmm, where to begin? Do you understand the theory of strength of will?"

"Dunno. Better clarify that one," Harry replied as he slashed his wand and a jet of fire came out headed toward Sirius.

Padfoot in turn swished his wand and a jet of water came out and doused the flame before it even came near enough to heat him up. "Oh, you're good," he complimented Harry with a slight incline of his head, his eyes never leaving those emerald depths. "Well, transforming is a lot like using wandless magic. In fact, it really **is** wandless magic, since you can do it without one. Basically, instead of focusing your magic through the wand, you simply draw from your own magical core and then make the change. But you must have a clear intent."

Sirius fired off a Jelly-Legs Jinx which just grazed Harry, who lost his footing for a moment before ending the spell and rolling out of the line of fire, crouching like a tiger while stalking around his opponent again. "Have you ever done any wandless magic? Even accidental magic that wasn't just some random accident, but happened exactly how you would want it to?"

Harry's mind rifled through his memories. He remembered when his hair had grown back overnight after Aunt Petunia had butchered it, or when the hideous sweater she was trying to force on him shrank beyond reason. He also remembered more recently when he had blown the door for the cupboard under the stairs open to get at his trunk after blowing up Aunt Marge, and when he had clearly called out **'Lumos'** and his wand had lighted, despite the fact he wasn't holding it on the night of the dementor attack.

"Yeah, I really have. Quite a few times, actually," Harry answered, surprised, as he dodged Sirius' "**Reducto!**" which destroyed one of the comfy armchairs.

"Hey!" Harry cried in mock indignation, "That was my chair!" He noted the laughter in Sirius' grey eyes and figured the same could be seen in his own.

"The room will make you another. Anyway, as I was saying, **that's** strength of will."

"Wow. That's not so complicated. Although I've only ever done it with my emotions running high, I bet I could learn to hone that for everyday use. **Impedimenta!**"

Sirius jumped out of the way and then lunged at Harry, knocking them both to the ground. They were laughing hysterically and struggling to knock each other's wands away without actually hitting each other.

When they stopped rolling and struggling, Sirius was lying on top of Harry and they were both chuckling and breathing heavily. Sirius looked into Harry's eyes and ran his thumb gently across his cheek. Harry's breathing sped up again as Sirius leaned in.

Their lips met, and it was everything they had hoped it would be. At first it was a soft caress, their lips just barely tasting each other, like sipping a fine wine. Then Harry dared to run his tongue across Sirius' lips, and they parted to allow Harry access.

Harry's hands cupped Sirius' face, gently cradling it as he tasted his crush's delicious mouth. Sirius was peppermint and a tangy taste that Harry associated with the heady scent of whiskey. It was bitter and sweet at the same time and Harry couldn't get enough.

Sirius' tongue moved to explore Harry's mouth in turn. Harry tasted like cinnamon and chocolate and pumpkin, and Sirius was lost. He moaned and deepened the kiss again, allowing his passion free reign, his hands dipping into Harry's wild hair.

As Harry pulled Sirius closer, falling into the blissful moment, Remus' words echoed through his mind:

"Harry, I think you and Sirius could be really good together. Just take it slow, okay? And know that you have my blessing."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Sorry for the delay again, what with school and writing for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month – look it up!). Anyway, last weekend I saw the new HP movie (EXCELLENT movie, by the way – you should all go see it!) and I was inspired to crank out another chapter. So here it is! Warning! Lots of fluff in this chapter!**

**P.S. Gary Oldman – come back! I know you're not how _I_ imagined Sirius Black would look, but it's a lot better than a CG overlay of your face in the burning embers, which is just CREEPY (see the movie folks – you'll know what I'm talking about)!**

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Co. Not mine. Never was.**

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**Previously:**

Harry's hands cupped Sirius' face, gently cradling it as he tasted his crush's delicious mouth. Sirius was peppermint and a tangy taste that Harry associated with the heady scent of whiskey. It was bitter and sweet at the same time and Harry couldn't get enough.

Sirius' tongue moved to explore Harry's mouth in turn. Harry tasted like cinnamon and chocolate and pumpkin, and Sirius was lost. He moaned and deepened the kiss again, allowing his passion free reign, his hands dipping into Harry's wild hair.

As Harry pulled Sirius closer, falling into the blissful moment, Remus' words echoed through his mind:

"**Harry, I think you and Sirius could be really good together. Just take it slow, okay? And know that you have my blessing."**

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Harry's eyes opened slowly. He could tell it was going to be a good day.

He stretched languidly in his bed, remembering the yummy dream he had just had. He grinned goofily thinking about the kisses he had shared with Sirius in the Room of Requirement. He reached out for his glasses as the subject of his thoughts chose that moment to pull back the curtains.

Sirius stepped into the enclosed space and closed the curtains, turning back to look at Harry like he was a particularly delicious bone. Harry's eyes widened, and Sirius pounced, turning into Padfoot as he landed on the bed and smothering Harry's face in doggy kisses. Harry laughed and tried to swat him away, but it only seemed to encourage his canine friend on.

"Ha ha ha – Padfoot st-stop! Ha ha ha ha!" Sirius transformed back and began to tickle Harry relentlessly.

"Do you surrender?" he asked, using his slighter greater weight and height over Harry to keep him pinned while he waited for his answer.

Harry smirked, "What are the terms?"

"Hmmm," Sirius pretend-pondered, as he ran his hand up and down Harry's side gently. "I think a good morning kiss will end the torture – for now."

Harry grinned evilly and suddenly grabbed Sirius, using momentum and a burst of speed to flip their positions. He leaned to within an inch of Sirius' face. "Well, I suppose, just this once…" he whispered as he captured that wonderful mouth, nipping at Sirius' lower lip until he growled and pulled Harry closer.

Harry chuckled into the kiss as it deepened, and he opened his mouth to Sirius' questing tongue. It was just as wonderful as it had been last night, when they had enjoyed a VERY nice snog before heading back to Gryffindor Tower.

Harry had to admit, Sirius was an exceptional kisser. Harry figured all the rumors about Padfoot's prowess had not been exaggerated. While it was slightly disconcerting to know Sirius had been with so many girls, Harry knew in his heart that his boyfriend ('BOYFRIEND!') would never cheat on him. With that happy thought, Harry pulled away from their much shorter snogging session, gave Sirius a quick kiss on the nose, and jumped out of bed to get ready for classes.

Oh yes, it was going to be a **very** good day.

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Sirius was fidgeting in Potions class. He and Harry were diligently working on their potions, each behaving like perfectly scholarly students. But little brushes on his side from Harry's hand and brushes on his thigh from Harry's leg were driving him slowly crazy. He wanted to grab Harry, drag him into the supply room and ravish him, but he somehow didn't think that Slughorn would appreciate that.

To make matters worse, something was clearly going on with Ron and Hermione. He and Harry had made the decision to keep their relationship a secret for a short while, at least until they could inform their closest friends and the Order. They hadn't expected to come down to the common room and find the other 2/3 of the Golden Trio acting shifty and practically pouncing on the new couple, dragging them off to breakfast with loud talk about the day's classes, Quidditch, the upcoming Hogsmeade weekend, and generally **anything** so long as they weren't speaking to each other.

Sirius hadn't seen this type of behavior from them ever, so he was thoroughly baffled, but Harry looked resigned and a little irate. Sirius had vowed to ask Harry about it during the break. Currently though…

He glanced over at his new boyfriend ('And it really felt good to say that!'), who was stirring his potion slowly, before sensing Sirius' gaze and looking back at him with a smile that promised a great deal of fun later. The Maurader grinned, and slid his own hand purposefully across Harry's thigh before giving it a playful squeeze. Harry jumped and nearly tipped over his cauldron, drawing Slughorn's attention.

"Everything all right there, Harry?"

Harry groaned internally. He hated drawing attention to himself in this class. Once Slughorn turned his sights on the 'Chosen One', he wouldn't pay attention to anything else for at least another 20 minutes. "I'm fine Professor, just realized I'd almost lost count of how many turns I'd made. I know how important it is to get it exactly right."

"Well, of course you do, my boy! You have the instinct, just like your mother!"

Sirius bit back a laugh at this comment, causing Harry to raise an eyebrow in question, only to receive an 'I'll-tell-you-later' shrug in reply. Meanwhile, Sirius added the powdered beetle's eyes to his potion, thinking about how Lily had struggled for years to learn all there was to know about Potions. She'd wanted Slughorn's approval desperately when she was younger (perhaps because she thought it would help her overcome the stigma of being Muggleborn), and it wasn't until after she had been invited into the "Slug Club" that she realized what a pompous, self-serving arse he was. 'Thankfully, Harry's never fallen for his antics, even if he's been practically forced to accept membership into the "Slug Club." I' just glad Slughorn's not after **me **again.'

As soon as class ended, Sirius took their potions up to the professor for grading, and was surprised to find Harry gone when he got back to the desk. He was heading down the hall, puzzling over this odd behavior when an arm snaked out of a classroom and grabbed his shirt, jerking him inside before slamming him into the now shut door. Soft lips that were becoming increasingly familiar claimed his own, and Sirius slipped into his personal paradise, thoroughly enjoying himself now as he pulled Harry closer, breathing in his familiar scent.

"You bloody tease," Harry said as soon as they broke the kiss for air, resting his forehead on Sirius'. "Sitting there looking good enough to eat, brushing against me, looking at me like you wanted to run back to the dorm for a snog, and then grabbing my thigh! And what was the big idea drawing Sluggy's attention? I had to make like a good little Potions student to get him away; he's already suspicious about why my 'skills' have dropped since last year."

"Sorry, Har – I couldn't resist. Besides, I really did want to run back to the dorm for a snog. Or at least, the supply closet."

Harry growled in mock irritation and kissed him again, more fiercely this time. Sirius' hands plunged into Harry's wild hair, even as Harry slipped a hand under his untucked shirt to get at the skin below, bringing moans from both of them. They were both breathless when they broke apart again a few minutes later.

"You drive me **crazy**, do you know that?" Harry panted.

"So long as it's **only** me that does, I'm okay with that," Sirius grinned.

"What was the thing about my mum?"

"Oh! I almost forgot! Lily struggled for **years** to get such a good understanding of Potions. I think she may have even experimented with potions over the summer, since you don't need magic to brew them. By fifth year she had learned enough to be really good at it; but it wasn't a natural thing, it was a learned skill."

"You're kidding?"

"Oh no, my lovely - she definitely earned her skills, she wasn't born with them. Then again, she couldn't cook to save her life. I should know, she once tried to pawn off these cookies she'd made on Gryffindor House, and they were worse than Hagrid's! So make sense of that!"

Harry laughed outright, and hugged Sirius to him. "Thank you, Siri, you've made my day! I always felt bad when Slughorn said my mum was such a brilliant Potions student, because I've never been good in that class. Hmmm, strange that I **am** a good cook, though, isn't it?" Harry pulled back and leaned onto a nearby desk.

"That is strange, but it almost makes sense. You're life is pretty crazy, Harry, it seems almost normal that you would have the opposite skills as your mum."

Harry smiled, and said with an air of nostalgia, "I think she would have found that hilarious."

"Me too, Har," Sirius replied, wrapping his arms around Harry's waist and giving him a squeeze. "We should probably head to the Great Hall, lunch is already half over and we still need to figure out what's wrong with Ron and 'Mione."

Harry groaned loudly, before pouting cutely, "But I want to stay here with you."

Sirius smiled sweetly and gave Harry a tender kiss, just beginning to get into it when his stomach growled loudly. They both laughed, and Sirius sighed, "Sorry, Harry, my tummy says you can't always get what you want." With that he gave his boyfriend another kiss, slid his hand down Harry's back and gave his arse a pinch before trouncing out of the room followed by a red-faced Harry Potter.

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'As it turns out', Harry thought with dismay, 'I really don't like being right about some things.' Ron and Hermione were at it again.

It seems that somehow, somewhere, SOMEONE had decided that since Harry didn't seem to be interested in anyone at the moment (coughSIRIUS IS A SECRETcough), "that hot new guy Sirius Black" never flirted with any girls and only hung out with Harry (I wonder why?), and Draco Malfoy had gone off and become a Death Eater, the spot for next most eligible bachelor in Hogwarts had somehow tied between Blaise Zambini and – wait for it! – **Ronald Weasley**.

And Blaise was known to be a conceited jerk.

Needless to say, Ron was suddenly one of the most popular guys in Hogwarts (well, with the masses of giggling girls). Ron was soaking up the attention like a dry sponge, still only barely able to understand how any girls would see him as attractive (he's always compared himself to people like Bill or Harry).

And Hermione didn't like it one bit.

"So what's the deal, Har-Bear?" Sirius asked around a mouthful of corned beef sandwich.

Harry cringed at the nickname, but leaned into Sirius anyway to explain. "It's sixth year all over again. They obviously fancy each other, but neither has the courage to tell the other. Then they get angry at each other when someone else shows interest." Harry eyed the same 'groupies' he had fended off last year now hanging off Ron's every word. Hermione was quietly fuming. A movement from the Ravenclaw table caught his attention, and he sighed. "This fight could last a while. Here comes fresh trouble to bring this mixture to a boil. Watch this."

Terry Boot stepped up to Hermione and asked if he could sit with her. Hermione smiled and agreed readily, and soon the two were deep in a discussion about their Arithmancy class. Within two minutes Ron noticed that Hermione's attention was fully on the Ravenclaw prefect. He pointedly ignored his new 'fan club' to grind his teeth noisily while he glared at Terry with undisguised hatred. He began tapping his foot as the two bookworms continued to converse, and wanted to wring Terry's neck when he asked Hermione to meet him at the bookshop in Hogsmeade that weekend. Terry wanted to show her a new version of New Theory of Numerology. Oh, and maybe they could grab lunch at the Three Broomsticks afterward. How **terribly** convenient. One might almost think Terry was looking for a date.

At least, that's what Ron decided to say to Hermione. That is, before Harry headed off disaster –

"Ron! Mate, didn't you say something before about asking Hermione to help you pick out a gift for Bill and Fleur this weekend? A new Weasley on the way is always cause for celebration, and I know you wanted to make sure that the gift was a good one. What was it you said? 'Only Hermione could know what would be best for the growing family.' Yes, that's what it was."

Hermione blushed immediately and looked at Ron with an almost hopeful expression. Ron's ears turned pink, but he cleared his throat and said, "Yeah, actually I did want to ask you to help me out at Hogsmeade, then I could buy you a drink or lunch as thanks. That is, if you wanted." Hermione smiled. Ron decided to give Terry a bit of a dig though, "But I know how you love Arithmancy, so if you'd rather go with Terry, I'll – well, I'll understand." Ron looked down dejectedly, almost laying it on too thick.

"Oh no!" Hermione practically exclaimed, "I'd much rather help you pick out a gift Ron!" She blushed again at her over-enthusiasm and tempered herself as she finished, "I mean, family is so important in these troubled times."

Ron's grin couldn't have gotten any brighter, and Harry had to bite his hand to stifle his laughter as his two best friends gazed dreamily at each other. Sirius, however, was never so discreet, and he fell over his seat, howling with laughter. He jumped up as Harry burst out laughing while Ron and Hermione turned crimson.

Sirius threw an arm around poor Terry's shoulders and pulled him away from the Gryffindor table, saying in a low voice, "Better luck next time, Boot. May want to stick to Ravenclaws, I think that particular Gryff is halfway to taken." He patted Terry genially on the back and gave him a gentle push back to the Ravenclaw table as the warning bell rang, announcing the end of the lunch period.

Sirius sighed as he gathered up his books and headed off to Charms with Harry, Ron and Hermione, 'I guess that mealtime entertainment was worth the loss of some snog-time.' He watched as Harry walked in front, talking quietly with Hermione. He tilted his head, admiring the view until Harry looked back and him and winked, 'Well – maybe not **completely** makes up for it…' 

"Hey Harry, 'Mione, wait for us!" Sirius cried, grabbing Ron's arm and running to catch up.

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After Charms was Defense Against the Dark Arts, easily Harry and Sirius' favorite class. Well, most people's favorite class. Remus was a huge hit. Some people still seemed fearful because the professor was a werewolf (a fact which was no secret now), but most were thankful for a competent – no, a **TERRIFIC** – professor who really knew the subject and taught it well.

Compared to Quirrell (too nervous and had Voldemort claiming squatter's rights on the back of his head), Lockhart (incompetent fool and con artist), Moody (slightly crazed ex-Auror who performed Imperius on them and turned out to be a Death Eater in disguise), Umbridge (discipline-crazed Ministry puppet who hounded Harry Potter) and Snape (former Potions Master and general greasy git who turned on them all), Remus Lupin was a dream come true. It was no wonder that even so early in the semester, student's knowledge of DADA and overall scores had risen by two or even three levels since the steady decline the subject had seen since Lupin's last go at the position.

While Remus lectured the class about vampires, he noticed that the tension that seemed to have been building between Harry and Sirius was gone. In it's place, the two wizards seemed to have found another way to occupy themselves, as Remus noted Harry grab Sirius' hand under the table and give it a squeeze. Sirius looked at Harry and they shared a secret smile. Immediately after, Sirius caught his old friend's eye, and they exchanged the Marauders' Secret Language of Gestures and Looks that the friends had developed over years of pranking.

Sirius gave him a significant look that said 'We need to talk.'

Remus continued to lecture as he arched a brow 'Is is urgent, or can it wait until after class?'

Sirius shrugged one shoulder and leaned into his desk 'No, not urgent, but important. Important to me personally.'

Remus tapped his podium with three fingers in a drumming beat 'Does this have to do with what we talked about the other day?'

Sirius yawned loudly and several students snickered 'Spot on, mate.'

Remus scratched the back of his head as he pointed to a diagram on the projector 'All right, Padfoot, stay after class and we'll talk.'

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Since DADA was the last class of the day, and everyone knew Harry and Sirius had a kind of friendship with Professor Lupin, no one questioned it when the two stayed behind after class. When everyone else had left, Remus invited the two into his office.

He already knew what they were going to say. It was obvious that they had started dating each other, and all that came with that. As soon as he sat down and poured tea for each of them, he decided to quell their fears. "I know what you're going to say. While some people might call a relationship between you too odd, I **know** in my heart this is right for both of you." The two young men beamed at him.

"Well, what else did you expect me to say?" Moony laughed. "I love you both, and you obviously make each other happy, so I am happy for you."

Sirius jumped up and embraced his best friend, and Remus hugged him back, smiling when he looked over Sirius' shoulder and saw Harry smile and mouth 'Thank you,' with nothing but gratitude and love in his eyes.

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Harry knew he had to tell his friends about he and Sirius, but he wasn't sure how. They never even knew he was attracted to blokes! Best to get it over and done with in one fell swoop, he thought. So he invited all his friends from his dorm, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny to the Heads Common Room that he and Hermione shared.

"What's up Harry? And is it urgent 'cause I've got a date with Lisa Turpin later tonight mate," Seamus asked, with the implicit understanding that this date could be put off if need be. Since Harry and Seamus had made up after 5th year, Seamus had proved to be a true and loyal friend.

"Um, guys – I guess the only way to tell you is to just say it. How do you all feel about homosexuality?"

Dean smirked, "What, you mean girls with girls and guys with guys?" He shrugged almost indifferently, "Dunno. Guess I don't really care – to each his own, yeah?"

Hermione immediately saw through the question, "I know it's still considered taboo in the Muggle world, Harry, but the Wizarding world is much more tolerant of a person's sexual preference."

"And you personally?" Sirius asked.

Hermione smiled, "I say whatever makes you happy is the way you should go."

"Me too," agreed Ginny.

"Aye, I'm with them. Besides, me uncle on me Mam's side is gay, and I love him just the same," Seamus supplied.

"Me three," Neville smiled, "And I mean literally. I like girls and guys, so it would be hypocritical to say I would dislike the idea."

Everyone gaped at Neville, and he just shrugged and grinned, mumbling, "Well if we're going to be so open about it…."

"Ron?" Harry asked quietly.

"If you're trying to tell us you're gay, mate, I guess I can understand that. It's not a choice I'd make, but you know I'll have your back, and support anything that makes you happy. You're like a brother to me Harry, and we've been through so much together – I wouldn't abandon you over this," Ron replied with a true smile, "Although I guess now I'll have to give up the dream of having you as a brother-in-law someday."

Everyone laughed, and if it was possible for Harry to smile any brighter, you couldn't prove it by them.

"Soooooo - " Hermione half-asked.

Sirius just grinned at her.

"Come on Harry, Sirius, are you telling us that two of the hottest guys in Hogwarts are dating **each other**?" Ginny asked.

Harry turned bright red while Sirius just smirked and slid an arm around Harry's waist.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Ginny squealed, immediately followed by Hermione. They both jumped up and ran to the new couple, knocking them over with giant bear hugs and congratulations. The guys just chuckled, looking like they'd prefer to issue congrats from slightly further away. No need to start a dog pile over this. But Harry and Sirius were both happy for the support from their friends.

They all talked for a while about what this meant for them all, how the other Gryffindors, and indeed the whole school, would take the news, and what to do in case trouble arose. When everyone left, it was late, and Harry and Sirius decided to stay in the Head Boy's room that night (the Head student's had their own private bedrooms, but Harry and Hermione generally preferred to sleep in Gryffindor Tower).

They curled up on a sofa closest to the fire, just cuddling and reflecting on how the day had gone.

"Were you worried that they wouldn't accept you?" Sirius asked quietly.

"A little," Harry replied. "I'm supposed to be this famous hero of the Wizarding world, with no problems and every aspect of my life perfect and every action done perfectly. Sometimes its hard to know how people will react to anything I do."

"I don't think you're **supposed** to be some famous hero. I think you're **supposed** to be Harry. And Harry does things right and does things wrong, just like everyone else. And sure, you are going to save the world some day (literally), and that's nifty and all, but I like it that I get to be here with **Harry** – just Harry – who has true friends and who I'm lucky enough to call my boyfriend. No matter what happens between us, and no matter what anyone says about us, don't change, okay?" Sirius asked in almost a whisper.

Harry turned to look Sirius in the eyes. For a long time he just searched those grey eyes, looking for something with a quiet determination. He evidently found it, because he smiled softly and said, "I could fall in love with you, you know."

Sirius had always thought someone saying that to him would be terrifying. He was well known during his original Hogwarts days as a ladies man who couldn't commit to save his life. But now…

His heart seemed to swell to three times its natural size. It was almost painful, but at the same time the best feeling he'd ever had. He didn't think about the words, he just said them, "I hope so. Because I think I might already be falling in love with you."

Harry leaned in slowly and kissed him, sweeping everything but that wonderful feeling away. Sirius sighed contentedly as he opened his mouth and allowed Harry to taste him again. Each time was so wonderful. He had never felt this way before and it was scary and exciting at the same time. Arms pulled each other closer as the kiss deepened, and Harry leaned Sirius back into the couch so they were both laying on it. Sirius sent one hand up to cradle Harry's cheek as his other hand slipped under Harry's shirt to discover the flat abdomen underneath. Harry moved his mouth along Sirius' jaw, and found a sensitive spot on his neck that sent shudders through Sirius as he nibbled and sucked on it.

Sirius' hand brushed along Harry's nipple and Harry groaned into the lovely neck he was feasting on. Sirius growled and pushed Harry's shirt up to gain better access. Harry separated from Sirius long enough to completely remove his shirt before he dived back into kissing that succulent mouth again, while his hands worked to unbutton Sirius' shirt. The still fully clothed Sirius allowed his slightly callused hands to explore the planes of Harry's back, feeling the lean muscles and sharp shoulder blades that just excited him even more. He didn't know what it was about Harry, but everything about him seemed to turn him on faster than anyone ever had before.

Sirius broke the kiss to lap at Harry's neck and shoulders, tasting the barely sun-kissed skin and memorizing the many tastes of Harry. He moaned as Harry finally managed to get his shirt open and mostly out of the way, and spread exploring hands across his chest and muscled abs. Harry pulled both their bodies up slightly to push off Sirius' shirt, and sucked on that sensitive spot again as Sirius struggled out of his shirt.

"Oh gods, Harry," Sirius moaned, loving the way Harry seemed to know just the way to make him shiver. Harry grinned and kissed him again, banding his arms around Sirius' now naked chest and bringing their bodies into contact again. The both groaned as they felt so much skin-to-skin contact. Sirius fell back onto the couch with Harry, instinctively thrusting his hips up and bringing a gasp from Harry as their erections came into contact.

Harry was on fire. He had never been so turned on in his life. He knew they weren't ready to go all the way, but he didn't think he'd object to **anything** Sirius wanted to do tonight. He decided to communicate that by grinding his pelvis into Sirius' slowly as their arousal rose. Both men groaned at the contact, and their kisses became more fierce as they rocked into each other. Neither really knew what he was doing but this felt right and **oh so good**, and they didn't want to ever stop.

For many minutes there were no words spoken, just the occasional moan and the sounds of the sofa springs moving, but soon neither man could stand the slow pace, and they stepped up their grinding, trying to create more friction, seeking release.

"Oh! Oh, Sirius!"

"Harry, (gasp) Oh Merlin, do that again! Oh, OH!"

"Oh Si, this feels so good. OH GOD!"

"Yes, Oh Harry, YES!"

They came together, clutching onto each other and drowning their cries in a fiery kiss.

As they came down from their mind blowing orgasms, they held onto each other, just trying to regain their equilibrium and enjoying how perfect the moment felt. Sirius grabbed his wand and cast a cleaning spell on them both, and Harry chuckled and kissed him again, slow and lazy this time, like they had all the time in the world to experience this. Harry sighed happily as he pulled away, and slid over so he was spooning Sirius on the couch. He used his wandless magic skills to summon a blanket, and the two lay together on the sofa, drifting off to sleep completely content.

Harry's last thought as he fell into a dreamless sleep was that today hadn't just been a good day. It had been one of the best days of his life. He couldn't wait to see what tomorrow brought.

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**A/N: Okay, so before you get on me about them doing stuff like this so early in their relationship, please let me remind you that they are 17 year old boys – basically walking hormones. And don't fret, they aren't going to become sex-crazed addicts; this was a special occurrence in the moment, and won't be happening every day. Harry and Sirius are good boys, and they plan to make something real of their relationship. This was just an expression of that, which I felt was on par with their level of experience. Thank you.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Wow! Apparently, most everyone WANT Harry and Sirius to be sex-crazed addicts, or at least didn't think it was wrong for them to go so far so soon. I had been worried about it. But hey, who am I to complain if that's what you want, and Harry and Sirius have no objections to it (Harry: -grins-"You won't hear one from me!" + Sirius: -zips an imaginary zipper across his lips "MMMM-mmmm"). So – on with the show!**

**P.S. To my reviewer sigi – I think I'll say an extra thanks for your review – you even tried to get me to hurry up by putting a review under my story "Misunderstood" to update this fic. So here you go! And hopefully some more later tonight or tomorrow!**

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Co. Not mine. Never was.**

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**Previously:**

Harry turned to look Sirius in the eyes. For a long time he just searched those grey eyes, looking for something with a quiet determination. He evidently found it, because he smiled softly and said, **"I could fall in love with you, you know."**

Sirius had always thought someone saying that to him would be terrifying. He was well known during his original Hogwarts days as a ladies man who couldn't commit to save his life. But now…

His heart seemed to swell to three times its natural size. It was almost painful, but at the same time the best feeling he'd ever had. He didn't think about the words, he just said them, **"I hope so. Because I think I might already be falling in love with you."**

….

Harry's last thought as he fell into a dreamless sleep was that today hadn't just been a good day. It had been one of the best days of his life. He couldn't wait to see what tomorrow brought.

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Soft lips caressed along his cheek and neck. A warm hand stroked his chest and long fingers raked through his unruly hair. Harry purred in delight, thoroughly enjoying his strange dream. He arched his body into the touch, like a cat after more petting. A soft chuckle. Then that warm mouth was on his chest, dropping feather-light kisses everywhere. A tongue flicked across his nipple and he sucked in a breath, shifting from the land of dreams to reality.

"Are you awake yet? I could stop if you aren't…"

"Don't stop. I am most definitely awake," Harry said breathlessly.

Another deep chuckle, and then those wonderful lips was back, inciting sparks of heat wherever they touched. Harry cracked open his eyes to see Sirius worshiping him like some idol, his reverence showing in the light; soft, but definitely arousing, kisses being rained upon him. Sirius' beautiful silky hair slid along his skin, shining in the morning light and begging to be touched.

Harry's hand threaded through his boyfriend's hair, and he hummed with the pleasure this simple morning greeting gave him. 'I could definitely get used to this.'

"Oh, Si."

Sirius looked up and smiled. He leaned back up and captured Harry's lips in a soft kiss, but pulled back just as Harry was getting into it. He propped himself up by his forearms over Harry, and just stared contentedly at his face.

"What? What is it?"

Sirius' face lit up with a slow smile. "I love that you have a nickname for me no one else has ever used. I will do the same for you, I think. And it will be just for us – what do you think, Ry?"

Harry laughed, and pulled Sirius back to him. "I think that is an excellent idea."

He kissed him long and slow, reveling in the feelings that always came with kissing Sirius. Harry had never felt this way before, and he wanted to savor every moment of it. Soon enough, though, they broke apart for air. "We should probably get up soon. We have Hogsmeade this weekend, and I need to restock my candy supplies."

Sirius got a wicked grin and said huskily, "I think Hogsmeade is going to have to wait." With that said he pulled Harry into a searing kiss that would have melted his knees if he were standing.

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A few hours later, after some heated snogging and a nice nap, Sirius awoke again to the chimes of the mantle clock ringing half-past 10 o'clock. He sighed as he rubbed sleep out of his eyes, and snuggled closer to Harry. About a minute later his brain caught up with his hearing, and he shot upright, knocking Harry to the floor with a painful sounding THUD.

"Hey!" The Boy-Who-Overslept cried in indignation.

"Get up!" Sirius shouted, "Harry, we're late for our training with McGonagall! She's going to kill us!"

Harry snorted, "More like you – only Voldemort can take me out."

"Get a move on sweetie, or she'll show you a trick or two even Voldemort doesn't know that will make you **wish** he were here."

Harry stuck his tongue out childishly, but got up just the same.

Harry showed Sirius to the magical doorways in the Heads Common Room that led to the all the House Common Rooms – including Gryffindor. They dashed past a surprised Seamus and Dean, heading for the boys' dormitory.

Within five minutes the two were dashing back out the portrait hole and down to the Transfiguration classroom.

Professor McGonagall was working with Ron and Hermione on the use of Transfiguration in battle tactics. She had been training them all in it for some time, and at the moment, Ron and Hermione were dueling, Hermione casting curses while Ron was only allowed to use Transfiguration to defend himself.

When Harry and Sirius came bursting into the room, Hermione cast a Stupefy that was deflected by an animated chair. The curse bounced off and struck the distracted Professor in the leg, knocking her out. All four teenagers grimaced, but luckily Hermione had the presence of mind to hastily conjure several pillows under the falling Headmistress before she hurt herself. Harry immediately revived her, and she sat up looking disoriented for a moment before glaring at the two dark haired trouble makers, whose expressions reminded her of twenty years prior, when identical faces had also accidentally Stupefied her – in that very room, now that she thought about it.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Black. We're so honored that you could join us."

Harry flinched, but Sirius immediately launched into an excuse, "We're so sorry Professor. We were all set to be here at 10, but then we were sidetracked by a group of fifth years who had, don't ask me how, managed to bring a group of gnomes into the school, and the little buggers had reeked havoc in the library. It was horrible! Ink and dirt and pages and books flying everywhere! Some mischievous third years were tossing them around the shelves – why, one nearly hit poor Harry in the head! If it weren't for my quick reflexes, the poor lad would have been hurt!

"Well, Harry and I immediately sprang into action, once we realized what was happening. I conjured a cage, and Harry summoned all the little buggers into it. What could we do but help poor dear Madam Pince straighten up the precious and sacred area that is the library, once the chaos was over? Of course, the terrible tricksters who caused the prank Obliviated her in order to avoid punishment, and Harry and I never got a good look at them."

By the time Sirius finished his story, McGonagall was staring at him incredulously, while Harry, Ron and Hermione were struggling to contain their laughter. Regardless, Sirius' expression was never any less than perfectly innocent. The Headmistress seemed to consider his story for a moment, before raising her wand and shouting, "Tarantellagra!"

Harry's instincts immediately took over. He snatched Sirius and threw him to the ground, covering him with his body and erecting a shield over them. McGonagall smirked. "Just as I thought. Not only was your tale ludicrous, Mr. Black, but also unbelievable because I **know** Mr. Potter's reflexes are significantly better than yours." She tapped her wand in her palm as Harry and Sirius got up. "Let's see. I think as punishment for being almost an hour late for your training, and disrupting the duel, you should stay an additional two hours after to train more." Both boys' jaws dropped. "However, I haven't heard an excuse that creative since the Marauders were in school, so I think, thirty points to Gryffindor for originality should do nicely."

There was a great deal of grumbling, but the points to Gryffindor did soften the blow somewhat. With that, the four teens got back to work.

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By the time that Sirius and Harry made it to Hogsmeade, they were thoroughly exhausted. Harry was leaning heavily on his boyfriend, while Sirius shamelessly leaned on Ron or Hermione to support he and Harry as they made their way to the village. After such a long morning, the four teens decided Butterbeers all around sounded good. They collapsed into chairs, and Harry bought the first and second round (as an apology to Ron and Hermione, who had also worked an additional hour, then waited for Harry and Sirius to finish).

After resting, slugging back Butterbeers and generally horsing around for an hour, they made their way to Honeydukes, where they ran into Remus.

"Good Afternoon Professor!" Hermione said excitedly. Despite her obvious interest in Ron, Hermione did have a bit of a crush on the DADA Professor, and was generally quite enthusiastic to see him. Ron growled lowly, and Remus bit back a chuckle. He knew that Hermione was one of several young women (and a few young men) who admired him from afar. He and Sirius had often laughed about "That Dreamy Professor Lupin" during their chats. Remus didn't know what they saw in him but to each his own. Remus had explained the exploits of a certain DADA teacher before him, who had a head full of lies and an ego to rival and surpass James' when he was at his worst.

Sirius, hearing Remus' chuckle, gave a cough that sounded suspiciously like "LOCKHART."

Harry and Ron both laughed, and the group split up to search the shop for their favorite treats. Just as Remus was paying for his box of Honeydukes Best Chocolate, Harry pulled him aside.

"Remus, can you ask McGonagall to call a meeting of the Order? I forgot to ask her earlier. There's something I need to discuss with them." Harry's gaze slid over Sirius before looking back at Remus.

"Of course Harry. We'll have it no later than tomorrow. Keep a low profile until then, okay?" Remus replied, squeezing Harry's shoulder to show he understood the danger Sirius would now be in.

"No problem, Moony. I know I tend to draw attention, but I've had over a decade's experience slipping into the background. I think I can still manage it," Harry said wryly, thinking of his life at the Dursleys.

"I know you can, cub. I'll see you later."

"Bye Rem!" Sirius called as the professor headed out the door. Remus merely waved and kept going.

Sirius slid up to Harry's side, a Sugar Quill poking out of the side of his mouth. "Everything good?"

Harry smiled. "Oh yeah. Just gotta let some mutual friends know about new developments. You know how it is."

Sirius grinned. He understood perfectly. He was excited at the idea of getting a chance to meet the Order (and perhaps becoming a member?). Harry, Ron and Hermione had told him all about the Order, and how they were working hand-in-hand to defeat Voldemort. Sirius had joined the Golden Trio in their searches for the Horcruxes, and already extracted a Wizard's Oath from Harry to bring him along when they went after the last Horcruxes, as well as the Final (even thought of with the capital F) confrontation with Moldy-Voldie.

Harry wasn't happy about putting Sirius in danger (again), but couldn't deny him once Sirius realized what Regalus had done (or tried to do) before he was killed, and said he had a score to settle (not only his best friends but his brother to avenge).

At any rate, that meeting with the Order wouldn't happen for another day or two, and now was the time for CANDY. As soon as they paid for their small mountain of sweets, Sirius began jumping up and down. "I want to go to Zonko's! I want to go to Zonko's!"

The Trio laughed at his antics, and mentally compared him to an overexcited puppy. Harry referred to him as such. "All right, Puppy. If you can find Zonko's you can go there. But if you can't, we'll go where I want to go."

What Sirius didn't know was that the Weasley Twins had in fact bought out Zonko's and created a branch of WWW. Now, while Sirius knew about the Weasley's joke shop in Diagon Alley, and had even heard stories about the twins, he was unaware of what awaited him at the site of his favorite joke shop.

They quartet rounded the corner, and were nearly blinded by the bright colors of the new sign hanging over the Hogsmeade Branch of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. As luck would have it, the stores founders and owners were in town to welcome the Hogwarts students. Sirius' eyes widened comically when he saw the brilliant (and quite gaudy) sign and display window to the joke shop. He looked at Harry in confirmation – like he needed proof he really was seeing what he thought he was seeing, before he laughed raucously and ran into the shop in ecstasy.

Harry and Ron nearly fell over laughing at the Animagus' antics, while Hermione simply tutted about immaturity, while fighting a smile herself. The three strolled into the shop to find Sirius and the twins talking rapidly about pranks and various items for sale. Sirius spotted Harry and dragged him over, where he was greeted enthusiastically by his "partners." Hermione simply shook her head in dismay – this would surely mean many more over-the-top pranks that she would have to deal with.

The boys stayed in the joke shop for nearly an hour, until Hermione dragged them out to return to Hogwarts, but not before they had nearly stripped the shelves bare (or so it seemed to the irate Head Girl). They also had several brand new products which Sirius and Harry promised to "test out" for the twins. One was an experimental aphrodisiac that would become a vapor when uncorked, and the fumes would cause everyone in a 15-meter radius to wish to snog the nearest person (based on their sexual preference) for at least a minute. The twin said they wanted to help all Wizard-kind find love. Hermione had simply scowled at the time, which gave Harry the idea of a lifetime on how he planned to test out this new product.

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	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I know. No no – don't say it because I know. I am terrible, you have my permission to slap me with a wet noodle. Thankfully, I had actually been working on bits and pieces of this chapter and future chapters, but alas writer's block and some seriously bad procrastination caused me problems. So. Here we are again. A new chapter, and hopefully a new start. I won't make promises on updates, but I will do the best I can. So, without further ado (or much anyway), I give you the MUCH awaited Chapter 10.**

**This chapter is dedicated to SweetTormentedAngel, for getting me writing again. See, I said I'd get it out by Sunday, and I just made it!**

**Disclaimer: The genius of the HP world was created by JKR, not me, sadly. **

**And the lines from Monty Python and the Holy Grail are also not my own creation, except for the obvious deviation (and if you don't recognize them even with my changes then I fart in your general direction).**

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**Previously:**

_The boys stayed in the joke shop for nearly an hour, until Hermione dragged them out to return to Hogwarts, but not before they had nearly stripped the shelves bare (or so it seemed to the irate Head Girl). They also had several brand new products which Sirius and Harry promised to "test out" for the twins. One was an experimental aphrodisiac that would become a vapor when uncorked, and the fumes would cause everyone in a 15-meter radius to wish to snog the nearest person (based on their sexual preference) for __at least__ a minute. The twin said they wanted to help all Wizard-kind find love. Hermione had simply scowled at the time, which gave Harry the idea of a lifetime on how he planned to test out this new product._

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The next day was an interesting one for residents of Hogwarts. Students had awoken that Sunday to discover a dreary autumn rain falling, destroying all hopes of a pleasant day outside. Sluggishly the mournful students dragged their feet to the Great Hall only to learn it had been turned into a dazzling white sandy beach, which extended to about half the hall before beautiful blue water covered the second half. Illusions covered all four walls, giving the impression of a true tropical beach, with a vast ocean as far as the eye could see. House elves were pushing tiny food carts and manning miniature drinks stands, and the enchanted ceiling showered the Hall with brilliantly bright sunlight from a cloudless sky. Multicolored beach umbrellas and chairs sat empty in wait of beachgoers, and gentle waves rolled against the shore.

As professors and students alike stood dumbfounded looking at the enormity of this newest prank, Harry, Sirius, and their friends from Gryffindor all came strolling down the staircase in their swim clothes, bright beach towels slung over shoulders or around necks and sandals on their feet. They happily bypassed the gawking crowd and settled into a prime spot.

It was the boys' whoops of delight as they raced into the water that finally broke the trance of the onlookers as students of all houses raced back to their dorms to change, and professors rushed into the room, trying to admonish the Gryffs, only to find that once they entered the Great Hall their clothing transformed into beachwear and their spells only seemed to improve the scene.

Sprout's _Evanesco_ on the sand caused an elaborate sand castle to rise up from the loose sand, Remus' ward dispelling curse generated more illusions of dolphins frolicking in the waves and several round tables of a beachside café to appear, and McGonnagal's general _Finite Incantatum_ just caused a tiny lifeguard tower to pop up out of the ground, and a house elf (who looked suspiciously like Dobby) to appear wearing a pair of red swim trunks and carrying a floatation devise as he set up guard duty for the day. The little elf was just in time too, as one of the littlest first years had skinned her knee in her haste to go to the beach, and he had patched her up with a cheery bandage and a Popsicle.

The professors confessed aloud that this was by far the single most elaborate prank they had ever witnessed. When the Weasley Twins sauntered in and flopped into two lounges that appeared by Hermione (who was reading beneath a large umbrella), it was clear this stunt was accomplished by uniting some of the greatest tricksters alive. Minerva glanced at Remus and noticed he had on his 'I'm-a-perfectly-innocent-and-harmless-werewolf-you-cannot-**possibly**-believe-it-was-**me**' face on, which of course immediately made him Suspect #4 (Just after Sirius, Fred and George, but before Harry).

The professors just looked at each other and finally shrugged and headed over to the café, figuring if you can't beat them, you might as well join them.

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On Monday were yet more classes. Bleh. Luckily, Harry and Sirius managed to get up on time, despite how comfortable it was to snuggle up under the covers, they kind of figured they should continue their education, especially since Sirius said they needed to work out a schedule for Animagus training.

At breakfast two owls dropped off letters. After a few quick flicks of his wand to check for any spells, Harry opened one letter, saw who it was from, and scanned the contents quickly. His spy needed to meet with him again soon. Harry nodded and set his wand to the note, casting a quick _Incendio_, which caused it to burn up in a quick flash, leaving nothing but ash, which he then vanished. Sirius raised an eyebrow, but as this wasn't the first time Harry had gotten such a note, he didn't comment, knowing this was one area Harry had refused to answer questions about yet.

A second note turned out to be from Remus saying that there would be an Order meeting that night (The note actually said nothing of the sort, but seemed to be stories about his parents). Several other students received similar notes, ranging from notes from friends and family to notices of detentions or prefect meetings. It was all written in a code known only to Order members. Harry smiled and stuffed the note in his bag, and leaned over to tell Sirius after secretly placing a privacy ward around the two of them.

"We will be introducing you to the Order tonight. Are you sure you want to join? You don't have too…"

Sirius looked Harry in the eye, "Harry, I know I'm not your godfather – and **that** would be just weird – but I do care about you and I care about this war. That maniac and his mindless followers destroyed the world I knew, they killed not only my brother in blood, but my brother in heart, and they tore the Marauders apart. I know I don't act like it much, but I do still sometimes miss the life I left behind, despite what happened to the other Sirius. I want to do this. I can't stand on the sidelines and not help."

Harry stared into Sirius' eyes and saw the sincerity there. "Okay," he conceded quietly, "Okay. But you must _promise_ me to be as careful as you can. I can't lose you. I wouldn't survive another time."

Sirius raised a hand and gently rubbed his cheek, "I promise you. No drapery is going to defeat THIS Sirius Black."

Harry laughed despite his sorrow remembering his godfather, and nodded, pulling down the ward as they headed off to class.

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There is a room inside Hogwarts. To get to this room, you must go to the third floor corridor on the right. You walk into a large room guarded by dogs, magically trained to sniff out the lingering odors of scents of potions such as Polyjuice (Who knew Mad-Eye was into dog training?). Once past the dogs, you open a trap door in the floor, and a long series of stairs leads down into an antechamber.

There you must pass through a ward, which you must have already been keyed into to pass. If you have never been before, you must have three members of the Order of the Phoenix verify you and key you into the wards, and even then, it only works for 20 minutes. If you haven't been approved and verified by the governing board of Order members by then, the wards will stun you, wipe out any memory up to one hour prior to keep the secret location safe, and cast you out of the area. Except for those with the Dark Mark. If the board does not verify them, the wards perform the same actions, only the individual in question is sent to a holding cell - complete with anti-apparition, anti-portkey, and magic suppressing spells – until such time as they can be questioned or turned over to the Ministry.

Once beyond the initial wards, a security team verifies everyone – and I mean EVERYONE – is really who they say they are, and not under any outside control. There are in fact spells (recent developments), which can detect when someone is under the Imperius Curse. Of course, you have to suspect someone enough to think to **use** the spells, which is why Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody had been made Head of Order Security, and had selected the teams of guards himself.

All were Order members.

All were still students at Hogwarts (but only those who were legally adults).

None ranked high enough to attend the meeting that they were watching over tonight.

But there were privacy charms on the actual meeting room, which would prevent any information leaks. And tonight, they had some pretty big things to discuss.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Remus led Sirius past the wards, and moved swiftly up to the security teams. Some of the students seemed envious that Sirius was going to the meeting, when he wasn't even officially a member of the Order yet, but they thought his initiation was tonight (and it was), and so didn't grumble too much.

If all this extra security seems a bit harsh, keep in mind that the Order - under Dumbledore's good but far too trusting care - apparently allowed in not one but **two** Death Eater spies (oh don't worry dear reader, we will get to the issue of Severus Snape **VERY SOON**), and to top it off, their headquarters could very well be compromised. They had reapplied the Fidelius Charm to Grimmauld Place, which is where the Order still held their regular meetings, but Harry, Remus, and Professor McGonagall had agreed almost immediately that what they truly needed was an 'inner circle' – a group of **most** trusted individuals, who together would discuss what needed to be done and set the lower ranked members to doing it. This is how the Circle of Fire was formed. Nine individuals in all: Harry, Hermione, Ron, Remus, McGonagall, Moody, and Bill, Fred and George Weasley made up the Circle of Fire.

These members were the **most** trusted, **most **competent, **most** tried and true members the Order had. Not only did they all have excellent magical abilities and tactical field experience, they all brought an advantage to the Circle. Harry, Hermione and Ron were at the forefront of the fight to destroy the Horcruxes. Remus with his obvious experience and extremely valuable good sense and ability to logic out anything (even when emotionally distraught), McGonagall with her skills fighting this war, the last war with Voldemort, and the war with Grindelwald (ending the last year she was in school, but she saw her share of fighting), Mad-Eye with his obvious paranoia ("Can it really hurt to be a little more paranoid these days?" Harry had asked at the first meeting), and of course Bill, with his curse-breaking ability and battle experience, and also his youth helped bring in a fresh perspective. And really who can keep a secret better than pranksters? Besides, the Twins had OUTSTANDING ideas for tools and weapons to aid the Order (after the incident with Draco Malfoy using **their** products against the Order, they had pulled their defense items off the shelves until they could devise a better method to prevent Death Eaters from obtaining their ingenious work. They said they almost had the charm figured out).

You may be wondering why more of Harry's friends in the Order had not been asked to join the Circle. The answer was quite simple – as much as he loved them, the other members of the Order were either too new to be trusted or they did not know the meaning of the word SECRET! Hagrid – well, he's pretty obvious really. Molly Weasley was too emotional, and though she wouldn't outright say the secret information, she would, if roused, intimate that there **was** a secret, and THAT information would be enough for any Death Eater to consider her ripe for torturous interrogation until she cracked. Sad but true.

Arthur Weasley couldn't keep a secret from his wife; Ginny still wasn't of age, so her parents wouldn't let her join, Charlie was too far away to attend regularly; Tonks wasn't serious enough – although she could fight like the dickens, she was generally considered to be too quick to let a secret loose in order to obtain other (and possibly less valuable) information for the Order. The list goes on and on.

That's not to say that being in the Circle of Fire was all secret plotting and serious discussions. They also had some fun with their roles. For example, Percy Weasley had come sniveling to the Order, obviously on the Minister's orders. He asked for work and was given it – but he wasn't trusted with anything more worthy than research. He was given important work such as finding out about the Founders and their possessions, interspersed with random and totally useless work such as discovering the topographical changes that had occurred in Great Britain in the last 500 years, the various types of wood and cores that Ollivander's wands were typically made of, and even the changes in heat setting a potion (with only a partial knowledge of the ingredients) based on altitude (which turned out to be research for a new WWW product which would cause purple rain to fall over a designated area and force anyone it hit to sing Prince songs for an hour – still in development). They did it in such a way that Percy didn't really have anything good to report to Scrimgeour and he was **never** told what the research was for or let in on any secrets, or even regular Order meetings. Moody called Percy their "Ministry Disinformation Puppet," and he enjoyed being the puppet master VERY much.

Tonight they were meeting to discuss the introduction of Sirius Black into the Order and some other work on gathering the Horcruxes (which only Harry, Hermione, Ron, Sirius and Remus knew about – the others only knew that they were working towards destroying Voldemort).

Sirius was led into the meeting room last, after everyone else had gone in. The room was pitch black, and Sirius took a few hesitant steps before Seamus, who was on Guard Duty that night, smirked at him and slammed the door, leaving Sirius in total darkness.

"Harry?" Sirius called tentatively.

A ring of fire roared up around him, and Sirius yelped and dashed to the center of the circle to escape the flames.

"Harry! Remus! What is this?" Sirius shouted over the flames.

A booming voice that Sirius recognized almost at once as Remus' came from the darkness. "Sirius Black, you have come here intending to join the Order of the Phoenix. How do we know you are worthy of our Order?"

"Moony, what are you on about?" Sirius asked, slightly annoyed.

The lights around the chamber rose somewhat, and Sirius saw he was surrounded by a dais, where nine figures in dark burgundy robes stood. They all had their hoods up, so Sirius had trouble telling who was who.

"Sirius Black," came a voice he didn't recognize from the other side of the circle, "He who would join the Order of the Phoenix must answer me these questions three. Do you accept this challenge?"

"Yes! Was that one of my questions?" Sirius asked hopefully.

Laughter filled the room, but the hooded figures continued anyway.

"What… is your name?" Asked the voice of Professor McGonagall (he'd know her sharp tones anywhere).

"Um, you know my name…"

The fire inched closer. "Answer the question, boy!" Came an angry, gruff voice.

"Sirius Orion Augustus Jeremiah Perseus Phineas Black," Sirius replied quickly, eying the flames fearfully.

"Really?" Moony cut in, while several of the figures shook with silent laughter. "I thought only Orion was your middle name."

"Yes, well, that's what I **wanted** you to believe," Sirius replied smugly.

"Next question!" Hermione's reprimanding tone rang out.

"Sirius Black, what… is your quest?"

"Huh?"

"What do you want to do?"

"….."

"Why are you here?" Ron's voice rang out in exasperation.

"Oh! I want to join the Order of the Phoenix and fight the evil Dark Lord Voldemort!" Sirius shouted in his most commanding (read: pompous) voice.

A pause.

"Wow, Sirius…"

"We had no -"

"Idea you could- "

"Be so full of yourself." The twins called out. More laughter broke out, and the fire inched just that much closer to Sirius. He began to sweat from the heat.

"All right, that's enough – final question!" Moony called out.

"Sirius Black," Harry's gentle voice grabbed his attention.

"Yes?"

"What... is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?"

Another pause.

"What do you mean? An African or European swallow?"

The fire suddenly died out and the lights came up. Harry stepped forward, chuckling as he lowered his hood. "I – I don't know that. How do know so much about swallows, anyway?"

Sirius grinned as he wrapped his arms around Harry. "Well, you have to know these things when you're a Black, you know."

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After the initial ribbing regarding Sirius' answers, they inducted him properly in the Order, and Sirius was introduced to the new mascot, a Phoenix named Albus, which was far more gold then the traditional red, and seemed to have a distinct and familiar sparkle in its eyes. Harry said it just showed up at the school one day, and though it lived in Minerva's office, it had not formed the Familiar Bond with her or anyone as far as they could tell. Instead the Phoenix seemed content to watch over all members of the Order and be a symbol of hope.

The initiation itself involved an Oath from Sirius to always fight for the Light, and keep safe the secrets of the Order of the Phoenix. The Oath was always given by the Leader of the Order, and Sirius was shocked when Harry stepped forward, revealing one of the Order's best-kept secrets – that a seventeen year old wizard was their true leader and guiding force.

Harry took Sirius' hand in his, "Will you, Sirius Orion Augustus Jeremiah Perseus Phineas Black, (Sirius grimaced and Harry smiled), swear by your life and your magic, to protect and defend the principles of the Light: honesty, freedom, peace, and equality?"

"I will." Albus crooned and a golden ribbon of magic wrapped once around Sirius' right forearm.

"And will you swear by your life and your magic to hold secret the workings of the Order of the Phoenix?"

"I will." The golden ribbon wrapped once more around Sirius' forearm.

"And will you swear by your life and your magic to aid the Chosen One, Harry Potter, to the best of your abilities, that he may defeat the Dark Lord Voldemort and restore peace?"

"I will." The golden ribbon wrapped once last time around Sirius' forearm before sinking into his skin. When the light faded there was a mark of a phoenix.

"Sirius Black, you are hereby inducted into the Order of the Phoenix. You will receive training to aid in the struggle against Voldemort, and be assigned to a sector, possibly to missions. The oath you have taken protects you and us. You cannot be forced, through Legilimency, torture, or truth serums, to reveal any knowledge of the Order's plans, locations, or members. If you should voluntarily reveal information to an enemy you will forfeit your magic or your life, depending on the severity of the transgression. Do you understand?"

Sirius swallowed. "Yes."

Harry smiled, "Then welcome to the Order."

Moody slapped him on the back, "Don't take it hard Laddie. We all had to make the same oath when it was our turn."

"You don't think it's a little paranoid?"

"It's not paranoia if they really **are** our to get you," was Moody's gruff reply.

Sirius looked at Harry and they both laughed.

Once Sirius was inducted the group all mingled for a few minutes as Harry and McGonagall went over plans for the meeting. Fred and George were FINALLY made aware of Sirius' status as a Marauder and looked like they might have heart failure when they realized they actually KNEW Padfoot. Bill and Ron just sat back and laughed at their idol worship.

Sirius then turned to Hermione and asked her how Harry became the leader of the Order and how they seemed to be so much more than what Harry and Moony had previously described. After all, it hadn't even been six months since Dumbledore died, and so much had happened to the Order.

Hermione smiled at Sirius, her face lighting up at the opportunity to impart knowledge, especially **this** knowledge, to her friend. "Well, to be honest it all started just two days after we went to Harry's aunt and uncle for the summer…"

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Hermione cringed as she listened to her friend silently endure his uncle's verbal tirade. They had already been at Privet Drive two days, but the Dursleys had not let up in their quest to make sure Harry knew how unhappy they were that **he** had not been the one to die instead of Dumbledore, and that he had brought more 'freaks' into their home. Vernon and Petunia were clearly afraid of Ron and Hermione, but knew there was really nothing they could do to send them away, seeing as the teens were both of age and could do magic on the Dursleys at any time.

This still didn't stop them from taking out their frustration on Harry.

Finally Ron had had enough, if the angrily shouted "Silencio!" were any indication. Not a minute later Harry entered the bathroom where Hermione was vigorously brushing her teeth and smiled tiredly at her. He opened the medicine cabinet and took down the aspirin bottle, shook out two tablets, and filled a glass with water from the tap. His actions cause Hermione to make a mental note to begin brewing some of the more common healing potions tomorrow to have on hand, as they surely wouldn't have the time or the resources to do so when they hit the road.

Having already completed his own nighttime ablutions, Harry gently squeezed Hermione's shoulder before exiting the bathroom. She rinsed out her mouth and followed him into his room, where they had transfigured his wardrobe and dresser into suitable cots, where she and Ron slept, while Harry took the lumpy bed, which Hermione had inconspicuously improved when he wasn't looking; she knew Harry would never complain or ask for them to fix it.

The Trio got into their various beds and wished each other good night. Hermione had just begun to drift off to sleep when the bedroom door slammed open. It was Harry's enormous cousin and he looked terrified.

"Harry! There are freaks outside in dark robes! Make them leave!"

Harry leaped out of bed at the same time as Hermione. They were at the bedroom door even as Ron's foot got caught on the bedding and he barely saved himself from smashing his face in the floor, shaking off the sheet as he scrambled back upright. They slammed past Dudley and down the stairs; Hermione saw Harry's uncle going to open the door and stunned him while Ron shot a Colloportus at the door.

Harry's aunt screamed and scrambled towards her husband as Harry leaped over his prone body and to the window. "Don't go outside Aunt Petunia! We need to figure out the situation first."

Harry motioned Ron and Hermione to turn out the lights and come to the window with him. Out in the street, about 30 Death Eaters were gathered, and every time someone came out of their house, they would curse them. The poor Muggles had no way of defending themselves, and Hermione could already see several bodies littering the street and front yards. The leader seemed to be looking for something, as Harry and Hermione looked at each other they could tell what it was.

"They can't see the house, can they Harry?"

"I don't think so. Either that or they can't get to it. See how they skirted the property? Still, we can't just let these Muggles be slaughtered." Harry stepped back from the view as the Death Eaters began flocking out to all the houses on the block except Number 4.

"We need a distraction and a way to call for help. Ron, I can get the help without drawing attention here, but can you give me time to get out of the house undetected?"

Ron grinned. "It just so happens I have some of the twins fireworks in my trunk, mate. I can set them off undetected, but what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to take my cloak and make like the devil for Mrs. Figg's house. I know she's hooked up to the Floo, we can call for reinforcements from there."

Ron and Hermione nodded and the three dashed back up the stairs. Harry grabbed his cloak and his Firebolt, and Hermione disillusioned him and the broom for good measure. Meanwhile Ron grabbed up the wet-start fireworks from his trunk. Harry stepped up to his window and opened it, double-checking to make sure Voldemort's minions couldn't see. "Okay, Ron, disillusion yourself and set those off in the back yard, and you GET BACK IN THE HOUSE. Both of you stay in here and guard my relatives. The wards should keep you safe. Remember though, don't use any magic outside the house – they're bound to detect it."

"Be careful, mate." Ron nodded to his best friend before dashing back out of the bedroom. Harry and Hermione could hear him pounding down the stairs even as the neighbors' terrified screams grew louder.

"Stay safe, Harry." Hermione said as he threw the cloak over his shoulders and sealed the seams with magic to keep it on him in flight, and climbed onto the windowsill.

"I will. You keep them all safe here, 'Mione."

She could only nod her acknowledgment as the first fireworks went off and Harry took off into the night.

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"Harry managed to call Headquarters, Ron's house, and Hogwarts for help, but it was still another half hour before anyone, even the Ministry, showed up. In that time many Muggles were injured, Ron and I had to bind and silence Harry's relatives to keep them from doing something stupid, and Harry had to chase off two Death Eaters and a Dementor from Mrs. Figg's house.

"Harry could not believe the slow response time and lack of protection for the innocent Muggles on his block. It got him to thinking, and within a week he had called for a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix and demanded that they admit us into their ranks and that a **major** reorganization take place. Obviously there was some opposition, but Harry basically came straight out and told them he was the only one who could defeat Voldemort, and what the hell where they doing trying to shut him out of a war he was already up to his neck in? One prolonged shouting match between Mrs. Weasley, Professor McGonagall, Professor Moody and Harry later, and we were in.

"Between myself, Remus, Harry, Ron, Bill, Professor Moody, and Professor McGonagall, we had an initial plan for the new Order up and working for us by the end of June, by the end of July we had 100 new members from all over Britain and had formed the Circle of Fire, and by the time term began we had worked out the kinks in our training program, begun the humanitarian efforts, and established the beginnings of our spy network. All this on top of our little 'hunt' – it's really amazing what Harry can do when he sets his mind to it."

"No kidding." Sirius just stood there in awe of his boyfriend for a moment, before Hermione's words caught up with him. "Wait, what training program? And what Humanitarian efforts?"

Hermione smiled smugly as she sat at the conference table and began to explain. "The training program is also known as the Order War Games, and it's provided by your friendly neighborhood Weasleys."

Ron and his brothers walked over, and they picked up the conversation from there.

Ron smirked – actually **smirked**, "When someone is newly initiated into the Order, we insist they take some training. Initiates are immediately sent into training with McGonagall and Moody for a week to be sure that they would be ready for at least small skirmishes, if not outright battles."

Bill nodded and continued, "Those who prove more adept are taken by us (he motioned to himself and his brothers) when they least expect it, but always within two weeks of the completion of their 'basic training,' to follow a series of War Games, set up in the Chamber of Secrets. We figured the atmosphere adds to the intimidation, and if they are good enough they can immediately begin moving up in Order ranks – starting with Guard Duty usually.

Fred jumped in here, "In the Chamber though, you face not only faux Death Eaters, but a maze based on Harry's, Fleur's and Viktor's description of the final task of the TriWizard Tournament."

George finished the tale, "The Initiates who don't make the first or second cut are given other jobs, as they so clearly want to help. Remus and Hermione are the organizers, but Harry has been the original driving force in creating groups and teams do all kinds of stuff: our humanitarian force."

"What kinds of stuff do they do?"

She beamed and replied, "They gather food and medical supplies for victims of Death Eater attacks, produce an underground newspaper that publishes TRUE articles about what is happening in the war and actually **useful** advice about home safety and personal protection ("The Phoenix Song, it's a weekly publication," Remus cut in, sliding the latest copy across the table they had all moved to), brew needed potions, and organize Defense courses for wizards and witches who wished to brush up on their skills (taught every other Sunday at Hogwarts). And just this week we began work on establishing some safe houses for those known targets of Death Eaters who wish for it."

"Holy Merlin, you guys really do all **that**?" Sirius asked in shock.

Remus chuckled, "Yes Pads, though we don't have to supervise most of it daily, just the overall picture. Under Harry's guidance, the Order has expanded from a fairly disorganized vigilante group to a finely tuned disaster relief and educating organization, with members skilled enough to form a small army, and a network of spies - most of them fairly recent Hogwarts graduates - in every lower-level position in every department of the Ministry of Magic and most businesses in Great Britain, as well as some in Europe and Russia. After all, who suspects or even cares what the secretaries or barmen or watch wizards see and hear?"

Sirius sat back in shock and absorbed all this. From the sound of it, Harry had created a finely tuned machine, an organization more powerful than all of Voldemort's forces and more pure than any lousy Ministry. He WAS DEFINITELY glad he had joined the Order, and doubly so that the leader was **HIS** boyfriend.

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End file.
